Faith's Love
by RiversEdge
Summary: Faith can love, she loves a very young and ignorant girl who tries to convice herself that it means nothing. Will Dawn's feelings change? this story used to be called, Want, Take, Have
1. ExCon

_Faith's Love_

**_Pairings:_** Faith/Dawn

**_Rating:_** M (eventually)

**_Authors Note:_** The only characters I own are the names that I made up for the potentials, since I couldn't remember what their names were from the show. So, pretty much everything character wise belongs to Joss Whedon. Enjoy the fic everyone. Let me know if I should continue on with this fic.

_Ex-Con _

Dawn was finishing up her lunch, listening to what two of the many potentials living in the Summer's residence, Gail and Kayla were saying to her, when the doorbell rang. Knowing that nobody was going to answer it anytime soon, Dawn got up to go over and answer the door. "It's ok, guys, I got it, nooo problem," said Dawn as she rolled her eyes while opening the door, expecting the person on the other side to be another addition to the growing population of potentials. Dawn's eyes, still not quite in view of whoever it was on the other side of the door, began to say the same welcome to the war speech that she gave to every new potential that walked up to these doors.

"Hey, welcome to the war zone, give me your bags and stuff and I'll find you a nice comfortable place on the floor somewhere." Of course, not expecting a reply, Dawn walked away, but stopped dead cold in her tracks when she heard that unforgettable voice.

"Hey, thanks, D, for the warm welcome. Man does this bitch ever still look the same." She pulled out a cigarette from her leather jacket pocket as well as her lighter and lit it up. Taking a long drag and letting it settle in her for a second, her eyes traced the walls looking from left to right.

She let her eyes look to the living room, where some potentials were sitting around playing a board game and talking. She then brought her gaze towards Dawn, who just stared at her blankly. She let her gaze rest on Dawn for a few more seconds, studying the younger girl, then remembering the tobacco smoke still in her lungs, she slowly let it out through her nostrils as her eyes stopped their run over Dawn's body.

"Well, I guess some things have changed," said Faith, smirking a bit, as she took another drag of her cigarette, never releasing her piercing gaze on Dawn.

Dawn let out an uncomfortable shiver then twisted her face in disgust, saying, "gross, you still smoke?" Dawn looked away for a moment then looked back and says, "You better get rid of that, Faith. You know Buffy doesn't like you as it is. Don't give her another reason to hate you."

But Faith still kept that grin of hers on her face, that look that never left Dawn's direction. She took a last puff of her cigarette before turning around to the still opened front door and throwing the butt out onto the cement steps leading up to the house. She turned around and walked back into the house, closing the door shut behind her. Again her gaze stayed upon Dawn's body, watching the movements of her curves, noticing the tense form of her body under the not so innocent stare of her eyes.

"Relax, D," said Faith in her as innocent as possible tone, raising her hands high up a little and letting out a playful chuckle. "Trying to keep the peace here, not planning on breaking any rules right now, not here for that."

Dawn still remained tense then moved her hands to her hips and refused to let go of her own personal stare on Faith.

"Whatever, Faith," said Dawn as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and called out to Buffy. "Hey, Buffy, the bearer of bad news has just entered the building. Would ya like me to shoot to kill now or let you do that when you come down?"

Dawn looked back to Faith, giving her a mean glare. At this point the potentials in the other room have taken this hint as a time to get away as soon as possible, so for once they leave and go somewhere else to inhabit. Faith let out a husky chuckle as she watched the potentials in the other room scatter off in a hurry.

"Damn, D, you've got yourself one hell of a mouth, a big girl now, aren't yeah?" Dawn traced Faith's glance towards the living room just as the last potential left the room to enter the kitchen.

Faith, who had an even wider grin on her face, walked a little bit closer to Dawn, her small backpack left alone on the floor next to the door. By the time Dawn noticed that Faith was walking towards her, she was already less than an arm length away. Dawn jumped back a little, shocked at how close Faith was to her, feeling more than a little bit uncomfortable and struggling to remain calm as she let in a deep gulp of nervousness.

"Now, why would you be saying such a mean thing to me? Should I just go out on a limb and say that you don't like me very much. Am I right, do you?" she said to Dawn, looking up just a bit to match Dawn's height.

Dawn, although being taller than Faith, still felt as though she's an ant compared to Faith, and is really not liking the lack of distance between the two.

Dawn, with newfound courage, responded to Faith's question, saying, "What do you think, it's not like you care?"

Faith chuckled again and closed the gap between them just a little bit more then lightly grabbed Dawn's chin and lightly pulled it downward in the hopes of bring Dawn face to face with her.

Then with a tilt of her head and a second to glance at Dawn's face, she said, "Well then, I guess were gonna have to remedy that now, don't we?" Lips became dangerously close to one another, and Dawn could literally imagine the taste of Faith's lips and tongue.

Getting closer and closer and closer, and feeling the wanting coming from both she and Dawn with only inches to go, Faith suddenly let go of Dawn's chin, and confidently stepped back several paces away from her before she could protest.

"Dawn," came a voice from upstairs.

It took Dawn a moment to collect herself and a second more to ignore the satisfied grin on Faith's lips before she could respond to Buffy's call, "Yeah, Buffy?"

"I hope you're playing nicely with our guest, Dawnie!"

Dawn looked away in embarrassment, catching the look of Faith mouthing the childish nickname 'Dawnie' in a friendly mocking way. She averted her eyes away from Faith wondering what she should be more embarrassed about, being so close to kissing an ex-con or having that ex-con that almost kissed you, hear you being called by a childish nickname.

"Ya, Buffy, everything's fine."

"Good, now get Faith settled and hurry upstairs. I need to talk to you about your studies," replied Buffy.

"But, Buffy…"

"Now, Dawn!" replies Buffy in that 'it's final, so deal with it' tone that she usually had towards Dawn.

"Argggg, fine, whatever," replied Dawn mostly to herself. Faith couldn't help it she let out another one of her long chuckles, which abruptly grabbed Dawn's attention "What are you laughing at?"

Faith just looked at her and replied coolly, "Nothing that should be taken offensively, _Dawnie_."

"Whatever, Faith, laugh it off for all I care," she told her as she waved her hands up in the air and turned around to go to the kitchen to find Gail and Kayla. Faith watched her go, but as soon as Dawn got closer to the kitchen door, she called out to her.

"Oh, _Dawnie_, don't you have to find me a place to sleep tonight, or should I say, 'a nice comfortable place on the floor somewhere'?" asked Faith kind of loudly, still having that seemingly permanent grin on her face.

Dawn, who had almost made it through to the kitchen door, stopped abruptly to listen for her sister, who might have heard Faith's kind of loud question. _Damn slayer,_ thought

Dawn. "Dawn. What did I say?" hollered Buffy from the stairs.

"I know I know, I was getting to it, I swear," pouted Dawn. As Dawn looked away from the staircase, she looked sorely at Faith, who was grinning wildly at her.

"Just for that, you're sleeping on the basement floor with Spike. And believe me, you'll regret coming here after a few days with him keeping you company at night."

Faith just looked at her and said, "Great, I get to spend some quality time with bleach boy, just how I wanted to live the last of my days doing." Dawn just looked at her cruelly.

"So, at least you'll have a friend who can die of cancer with you. But since he can't die of cancer and you'll probably be killed by a bringer, he'll be your smoking buddy until that day comes," replied Dawn with a smirk of her own.

"Funny, very funny," replied Faith as she claps her hands and pretends to be totally amused. "Hey, _Dawnie_, with an opening act like that, you'll be the talk of the town, or at least what's left of it," Faith went on as she continues to clap and smile seductively with an odd twinkle in her eye. Her odd twinkle becomes more prominent, especially after she said, "And, it would be, how should I put it, intoxicating to see your in-cage performance, such a hot girl like yourself."

Dawn froze when she said that, rapidly trying to figure out what Faith meant by it, which only earned her another satisfied glance from Faith, who had picked up her small backpack and handed it to Dawn.

"Now be a good girl and give me a preview of your many skills and talents by bringing my bag down to the basement for me, will ya, my sweet _Dawnie_." Dawn gave her a glare that would have kill an ordinary gal, but then gave Faith a fake smile and squinted her eyes, before she lifted the bag.

"Oh, _Faithy_, I hope you don't have anything fragile in this bag," replied Dawn as innocently as possible.

"No, why do you ask?" asked Faith.

Dawn just rolls her eyes and said, "Oh, no real reason," just as she roughly tosses the bag down the basement steps.

Faith just looked at her like she was crazy and asked, "and what exactly do you call that, ADAI?"

Dawn just looked at her in confusion and asked, "And that means?"

"A Dumb Ass Idea…"

Dawn just laughed at her. "No, I call it 'The disappearing act', kind of like you." And with that, Dawn proudly walks away, leaving a confused slayer to watch her leave.

Faith stayed there for a second and while Dawn was still within earshot, she said out loud, "So I guess I'm gonna have to deal with more of your ADAI disorder, huh?"

Dawn just kept on walking and pretended that she heard nothing; nothing could possibly ruin this proud moment for her. Well, except for Buffy's conversation based on Dawn's studies.


	2. Not a Brat!

_Not a Brat!_

Dawn was up most of the night, deep in thought. She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried to think about anything else other than Faith, she couldn't stop wondering why on earth Faith was acting so strangely towards her. She new that Faith was more than a little bit over sexual and that she was quite the flirt pretty much all the time and pretty much around everyone. But what Dawn could not understand was why all of a sudden Faith was only acting this strangely around her, not so much around anyone else. Dawn spent the better half of the night thinking about Faith and everything that she had said to her since Faith had walked into the house. She thought about how well Faith was enjoying her new sleeping arrangements, having been forced to sleep downstairs with Spike. Dawn aloud herself a silent chuckle, as to be careful not to wake Gail and Kayla, who also slept in Dawn's room with her.

_Man oh man, did I ever get Faith good. Maybe if I keep this up, then maybe Faith will get the hint and take off_, thought Dawn with a sly grin escaping her lips.

After that thought, Dawn turned her head to look at the clock next to her bed. It read 12:30 AM. She new that she would need her rest since she was probably going to be doing a lot of research in the morning, so she turned onto her side and tried to fall asleep. While Dawn was fast asleep, unaware of what was going on, a shadowy figure slipped into her room and silently tiptoed towards her bed, careful not to wake her. As the figure walked closer and closer towards the sleeping figure, the light from the morning sun coming through the cracks in the blinds slowly revealed the intruder bit by bit. As the streaks of sunlight moved against the face of the intruder, it first revealed the long, wavy, brown hair and deep fleshy lips of a woman who was an expert of the hunt. Which was what this felt like to her, hunting for a young sleeping beauty that laid ever so silently and perfectly under the covers of her bed.

The intruder, careful not to step on anything that would give her away, reached out to touch the covers that hugged and gave false security to the young child that lay beneath it. The intruder carefully pulled down the covers of the bed just enough to slightly pick up the sleeping beauty so that she could reposition the young beauty on her back. She then took a moment to study the young girl and sat on the side of the bed, where another beam of light revealed the face of the intruder. The woman's fleshy lips formed into a loose grin as she slowly picked herself up. And again being careful not to wake Dawn, she slowly threw one leg over one side of the bed while placing the other on the other side. She was now directly on top of the sleeping beauty, not fully positioning her weight though, since she was sure it would wake her immediately. So as she hovered there over Dawn then slowly bent down on the bed, and lightly, ever so lightly, kissed the younger girl's lips. So lightly that the girl didn't even awake. The woman's lips then turned into a satisfied smile as she licked her lips and bent down even further towards Dawn. But instead of kissing Dawn a second time, she guided her mouth down to Dawn's left ear, where another strand of light revealed another part of the woman's features.

It revealed the light sparkle of sweat on the woman's arm that hung naked apart from the undershirt that she wore. She lingered there next to Dawn's ear, transfixed by the younger girl's soft but strong breaths. Then, the woman looked to the clock that sat on the desk to her right, and read the time being 8:30 AM. At this point her face hit another strand of light that revealed the woman's intense eyes. She looked away from the clock to look back to Dawn.

She then whispered ever so softly to the younger girl in her ear, "It's 8:30, sweet _Dawnie_, it's time to show me your pretty eyes once again."

Dawn, who was still fast asleep, only nudged away and said clumsily, "Five more minutes, Buffy."

Faith, who let out a silent chuckle, sat up and said, "Come on, brat, time to wake up!"

Dawn awoke immediately after that and said, "Not a BRAT."

"Brat," replied Faith, a little hurt that Dawn had called her Buffy and not by her name.

As Dawn opened her eyes, realizing that it wasn't Buffy that was in her room, and not Buffy who was currently lying on top of her, was a little bit alarmed. "What's going on, Faith," asked Dawn, trying to remain calm, trying to find a proper place to put her hands that weren't anywhere near Faith's body, trying to ignore the sudden rapid heart beat in her chest.

"Well, at least you didn't call me Buffy again," replied Faith with nudge of her shoulder and a slight flip of her hair.

Dawn just looked at her, a little bit confused and a little bit uncomfortable. "What time is it," asked Dawn.

"It's 8:32. Time to get up, big sis wants you downstairs to help her out with some research."

"Great," replied Dawn, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes as Faith watched her intently. "Uh, Faith…"

"Yeah, _Dawnie_…"

"Would you mind moving, please?" asked Dawn when she realized that Faith was still on top of her.

"Sure thing, brat…"

"Not a Brat!" exclaimed Dawn as Faith slowly climbed off her and headed for the door, leaving Dawn in her bed wondering how long Faith had been on her.

By the time Dawn was dressed and already down the stairs, it was 9:00. She slowly found her way to the kitchen, looking for some breakfast, and a reason to get out of research. As she pulled out a semi empty box of _Cheerios_ from the cupboard and milk from the fridge, she could hear the potentials out in the backyard training. She could hear their yelps of pain and sighs of frustrations as she sat back and enjoyed the luxury of food. Knowing that she would have to get up and meet up with Buffy and Giles for research mode with some of the Scooby gang, she decided to take her time and enjoy the moment of peace and quiet. She got up a moment later from her chair to get herself a cup of coffee that was semi warm, but good nonetheless. As soon as the cup of coffee was in her grasp, she was back in her seat, finishing up her breakfast. She began to explore the many reasons as to what the HELL Faith was doing in her room, while she was alone with her thoughts.

After a few moments of private thoughts, Buffy entered the room with Faith closely behind her. "Dawn, come on, hurry up and eat."

"Yeah, brat, come on, you don't have all day," added Faith with a sly smirk on her face, followed by a not so innocent look.

"I just got here, ok, I'll be there to help with research as soon as possible. I just had a _bizarre_ morning so far," replied Dawn, who tried her hardest to ignore Faith.

Buffy just looked at her in puzzlement. "Well, ok, Dawn, just hurry up and meet Giles and Xander in the living room. Ok?"

Dawn looked back up from her _Cheerios_ and smiled at Buffy. "Sure thing, Buffy," replied Dawn, who found her _Cheerios_ very interesting at that moment.

Buffy just looked at Dawn then glanced at Faith, who looked back at Buffy. "Is there anything that you would like to tell me, Dawn, is there anything going on that I should know about?" inquired Buffy, who gave Dawn a worried glance.

"No, Buffy, just a bit tired, nothing to be worried about," replied Dawn, who was still looking into her cereal bowl in wonderment.

"Well, alright then, see yeah later," stated Buffy as she left the room, with Faith following shortly after.

When they left, Dawn relaxed her shoulders, and prayed in thanks that Faith was gone. Then she finished her cereal and coffee then put them away in the dishwasher before washing her hands and making her way to the living room.

Most of the day was spent, unfortunately, doing research, which can be fun sometimes, but mostly frustrating and tiresome, especially when you find nothing during the four-hour book reading progress. But Dawn was good at research, and it made her feel special that she was included in the group, mostly because she was usually the one that found information on demons, like how to kill them and/or where to find them, sometimes before Willow or anybody else. This time around, the mission for the Scooby Gang was to find a demon that Buffy had run into a few days ago that had given her a nasty bump. It apparently had the ability to throw sharp pointy sticks out of its arms at people, which is pretty disgusting but affective, if you can imagine. After many hours of looking and reading around for the demon that fit the description that Buffy had given earlier, it was Giles who announced that they should stop for a break. So they did. They would come back after dinner to finish their search and hopefully find something at that time. So the gang picked themselves up and got ready for dinner, which didn't take long though since it was 6:30 and Andrew was once again cooking for the family. So when Andrew hollered as loud as he could "dinner's ready!" it wasn't a surprise when a large group of girls stormed the area, attacking anything that was edible then rushing away saying thank you as they returned to whatever they were doing before. But it was a surprise when Dawn came down a little later in the hopes to grab some leftover dinner or even a banana thinking that she was alone when out of nowhere, Faith entered the kitchen seemingly thinking the same strategy has Dawn.

"Hey, brat," Faith said through a smile as she opened the fridge door looking for something else to eat.

"Not a brat," replied Dawn as she peeled her banana and began to feast on it.

Faith looked back after a while and saw Dawn slowly devouring the banana that was in her hand. "Slow down, D, or you'll give yourself a tummy ache."

Dawn just looked at her coldly before saying, "Don't tell me what to do, Faith, I'm a big girl, I can eat this banana all by myself, thanks."

Faith just looked at her, studying her a little more closely, watching her lips move up and down as she chewed then swallowed. Before even Faith knew it, she was already walking towards a preoccupied Dawn, wanting more than anything to get closer to that mouth. Faith remembered that morning, when she was on top of the sleeping Dawn. Remembering how soft those lips of hers were when she kissed her softly. Faith wanted so badly to do it again, to feel those lips against hers, hopefully willing to do more than just nothing. Hopefully when Faith kissed those lips again, she'd have those lips to devour just as naturally and as hot as watching Dawn eat that banana of hers.

"There's no doubt in my mind that you can't eat that banana all by yourself, _Dawnie_," Faith said, making sure that she drew out the 'Dawnie' part enough to get Dawn's attention. She wanted to kiss Dawn, but not here, not when Buffy was in the house. So Faith opted for a more dramatic way of getting Dawn's attention.

When Dawn turned her head in Faith's direction, giving her a clueless look, Faith saw the opportunity and took it. As Faith closed off the distance between the two, she kept constant eye contact with Dawn, not allowing her to look away. And to make sure that Dawn couldn't look away, Faith once again grabbed hold of Dawn's chin and held it still in front of her.

_Dawnie honey, I'm gonna give you a thought to make you wet for me, wanting for me. Hope you can handle it_, Faith thought as she forced Dawn against the counter, saying, "How I see things right now, Dawnie, is that you have something that I want." Faith then began to move her face closer and closer to Dawn's lips, teasing her with her hot breath hitting against Dawn's partly opened mouth. "And believe me, Dawnie, when it comes to things like this," said Faith as she tilted her head, teasing Dawn a little bit more with the offer of Faith's tongue. "I always get what I want, Dawnie. Want, Take, Have." Just then, Faith took her right hand and held it over Dawn's left hand, where the banana was.

She took it out of Dawn's hand then took a big bite out of it before returning the peel back to Dawn. Faith gave Dawn one more seductive look before turning around and leaving the kitchen with an almost permanent smile on her face. Dawn just stood there in the kitchen with the banana peel in one hand and a deer caught in the headlights expression across her very young and now very aroused face. Seconds later of Dawn just sitting there thinking very un-pure thoughts, came the voice of Xander, who burst into the kitchen rubbing his hands and smiling.

"Hey, Dawnie, ready for some more research?" Dawn just stood there replaying the moments of what had just happened. Xander sensing that Dawn was on another planet moved closer to her, and gave her a nudge. "Yo, Dawnie, research, Scooby gangs' official club member in dire need of Dawnie help."

Dawn, who gave a jolt when Xander gave her the nudge, replied, "Oh, ya, Xander, research, right, be right there." Just to put more emphasis on the response and hoping that it would somehow keep Xander from asking any questions, Dawn raised her thumbs straight up and began walking straight to the living room to continue the search for the unidentified demon.


	3. Taking what i Want

_Taking what I want_

Dawn, along with Xander and Giles, spent a few more hours after dinner looking for the demon that had attacked Buffy the night before while she was out on patrol. Since they hadn't come up with anything that fit the description of the demon, Dawn decided to wake up a few hours early and start research early in the hopes that something would come up. So, as Dawn is in her room reading through some of the books hoping that she wouldn't be disturbed, Faith opened the door to her room and walked in. Dawn looked up when she heard the very familiar voice that called out to her, pulling her out of her concentration.

"Hey, brat, find anything interesting in there, or are you just trying to find an excuse to hide?" Dawn's heart rapidly began its 100 beats per minute run, which it had been doing for the last few days, ever since Faith started her weird flirty behavior around her.

"Don't you ever knock?" inquired Dawn in an attempt to sound upset, since Faith had just busted in on her without knocking.

"Sorry, D. Just wondered what you were up to. I hadn't seen you at all today. I was getting worried," stated Faith as her eyes descended onto Dawn's young firm breasts, and not trying to be discreet about in the least.

Dawn, noticing where Faith's attention currently was, sat up, and crossed her arms in an attempt to block Faith's view of her 'assets'. Feeling a little bit embarrassed but strangely complimented, Dawn just returned her view to the book resting on her lap, where she was reading the profile of a demon called 'Polgra Demon' that seemed to be the closest description to what had attacked Buffy while on patrol. Faith, noticing that Dawn was trying to ignore her, walked towards Dawn and sat right next to her on the bed, watching Dawn as the young girl tried to read the description of the 'Polgra Demon' while fighting the urge to look at Faith. Faith, enjoying the feeling of being close to Dawn and knowing that she was starting to get to Dawn, decided that the current room temperature was too cool for her liking. So Faith decided to turn up the temperature a little bit by moving closer and closer to Dawn, moving her shoulder a little bit behind Dawn and resting her head on Dawn's shoulder, which resulted in Faith's cleavage to ride up a little, giving Dawn an eyeful when she turned her head to see what Faith was doing.

After a few seconds of eyeing Faith's cleavage, Faith took the opportunity to make Dawn blush by saying, "Find what you're looking for, Dawnie?" Dawn jolted back into reality and tried to think of something to say in her defense.

Finding the example that was right in front of her, Dawn blurted out in a rush of embarrassment, "Oh yeah. I think I found what attacked Buffy the other night." Dawn attempted to calm herself and ignore the growing wetness caused by Faith's sudden attempts to get her attention.

"Oh really," Faith responded as she began to move a bit closer, if it was possible. She whispered into Dawn's ear, saying, "That's interesting, a Polgra Demon, huh?" Dawn licked her lips as she felt Faith's warm breath against her ear.

"Yeah, hmm, yeah, good for Buffy." Dawn couldn't help but sweat as she could have sworn that the room temperature had risen, and felt the sweat begin to rise on the back of her neck.

Surprisingly, Dawn began to fantasize, envisioning Faith grabbing her by the chin and yanking her in her direction before planting a hot kiss on her lips. But as quickly as the vision came to her, she as quickly pushed the thought away.

Faith just looked at her, smirked and said, "There's something on your mind, Dawnie, something that you'd like to tell me maybe?"

Dawn just looked away and said, "No just that I don't know what you're playing at."

"I'm not playing at anything, Dawnie."

"Don't lie to me, Faith! I know there's something strange going on with you," Dawn stated as she erupted off the bed so fast that she felt dizzy. "And I'm pretty sure that I don't want to know about it."

Faith was looking at her in all seriousness, wanting so badly to run up and grab Dawn by the waist and hold her tight and tell her the things that she knew she couldn't say. But she didn't want to risk it, didn't want to risk Dawn getting it all wrong and think that she was being attacked, didn't want to risk Buffy walking in on them at this odd moment, knowing that Buffy had a knack for appearing during the most inconvenient time. So she sat there and thought of the best thing to say at a moment like this.

She looked at Dawn and with a reassuring glance, she said, "Dawn, believe me, I'm not playing you. And I can imagine that all you're thinking right know is whether or not, I'm gonna betray your sister like I did last time."

Before Faith could continue, Dawn interrupted, saying, "Will you do it?"

Faith gave a weak smile that somehow reassured Dawn faster than what Faith said next.

"No, Dawn, I'm not going to retrace my steps and make the same mistake I made in the past. I promise you."

Dawn just looked away for a bit, thinking about her feelings, how she felt, what she wanted to feel. She knew, somehow, that Faith was telling the truth. She felt it from somewhere that couldn't be explained so easily, but in the simplest words to describe how she knew, she simply just had faith. And that seemed to be all the proof she needed right now. She gave Faith a small smile, and walked over to sit down next to Faith. But as she sat down, as luck would have it, Buffy called to them from downstairs and told them that there was a Scooby Gang meeting and to come down immediately. So they did.

After the meeting and after Dawn had brought up the news of the possibility that the demon that attacked Buffy was a Polgra Demon, the gang was quickly dismissed after the conclusion that Buffy and Faith would go out in search of this demon and bring it down for good. As soon as everyone left, Dawn was called back to have a little talk with Buffy.

"Dawn, come back here for a minute, I have to talk to you about something."

"Sure thing, Buffy, what's the problem?" Dawn questioned as she turned herself around and walked the rest of the way towards Buffy, who gave her a look of concern.

"Dawn, we have to talk about something. I don't want you to think I'm babying you or anything, but I'm really worried about you."

Dawn gave Buffy a look of surprise and said, "Worried about what, Buffy?"

"About you, Dawn, you've been working really hard lately and I think you should take a break or something."

"I'll be fine, Buffy," replied Dawn as she rolled her eyes as matter of fact.

"I know, I know, but I still want you take it easy, have some fun. The war hasn't really picked up yet, and when it does, there probably won't be time for fun and games. So enjoy yourself for a little bit."

"Buffy…" replied Dawn.

"Hey, this is me telling you to loosen up. So do it already. It's fine and very appreciated what you're doing to help out. But you're still a kid, my kid sister, and you need a break."

"Ok, Mommy, I'll try and cool down for a bit," replied Dawn as she walked out of the room towards the stairs to go up to her room and relax for a bit. Dawn was happy to be told to calm down for a bit, it would give her some time alone and time to just sleep for longer then eight hours or less. She went upstairs into her room and took a nice long, relaxing nap.

As Dawn slept, she was interrupted by a faint knock on the door. She awoke immediately and called out for the stranger to come in.

As Dawn attempted to wipe the sleep from her eyes, Faith entered her room and announced, "Hey, brat, time to get up and get ready. Get some training clothes on and let's get moving." Dawn just laid there and groaned at the sound of a command. "Come on, brat."

"Not a BRAT," replied Dawn.

Faith just stood there watching Dawn again with a smirk on her face. Her smile mellowed a bit when she noticed the round smaller mounds of the younger girl's breasts and how they seemed to call out to her. She watched them for a moment and wondered to herself what they would taste like. Faith considered the idea of what they tasted like, at first thinking of the texture of the nipples being as supple as a berry, and the taste of the skin would match the taste of pure innocence. All of these things and more were everything that Faith hadn't experienced before; all were everything that attracted her to this girl. As Dawn became more awake, she noticed what Faith was doing and turned her body the other direction. This act snapped Faith back into reality immediately.

Faith then said to Dawn's back, "I'll leave you to get ready, Dawn. Get dressed and meet me out in the backyard. I'll be waiting for you." And with that, Faith left the room and closed the door.

Dawn immediately felt bad, not knowing why she was feeling this way, which was undeniable the guilt she felt. But not knowing what Faith had in mind or why she wanted Dawn to meet her in the backyard wearing exercise clothes, she decided to do as she was told and see what Faith had in store for her.

After about ten minutes, Dawn was outside in the backyard looking for Faith. Since it was night out, she could hardly see a thing. She walked out further and called to Faith. After a second, she felt something walking behind her and turned her attention to the dark figure behind her.

"Faith, is that you?"

"Well, I don't know, is it?" joked Faith as she let out a soft chuckle that seemed to rattle Dawn's bones and give her a tingly sensation through her spine.

"What are we doing out here, Faith?" asked Dawn as she finally managed to pinpoint Faith's exact location.

"Just having fun, D," replied Faith as she pulled out a cigarette from her leather jacket and the lighter then lighting up the cigarette and blowing out a small puff of smoke. Dawn just looked at her, a slight feeling of worry working its way to her stomach as Dawn looked around her surroundings, but finding it hard to see past the night shadow. Faith, checking Dawn out, called out to her in an attempt to calm her.

"It's alright, Dawn, B just wanted me to hang out with you for a while and teach you some _moves_ while I'm at it," informed Faith, leaving Dawn to stand there in confusion trying to figure out what Faith had meant by 'Moves'.

As Dawn considered what exactly Faith had meant by this, her attention was caught by Faith's cigarette, which was, for some reason, lying on the damp grass where Faith had been previously standing.

"Faith, where did you go?" asked Dawn as she realized that Faith wasn't standing in front of her anymore. Fear and the feeling of being hunted was starting to crawl up her spine and course through her veins, as her heartbeat began to rise in fear.

Her pulse quickened and echoed into her mind as she moved her head left to right, trying her hardest to find were Faith was. Her breathing began to quicken as she wondered where everyone else was. Maybe the potentials could help her out, Willow, Xander, Buffy, and even Giles. She wondered what she should do next. Thoughts flew past her as her mind tried to work out the best course of action. She walked towards the heavily smoldering cigarette and picked it up. She blew the smoke around her, watching to see if the smoke would be disturbed by a faint breath or of some hidden movement. She blew another amount of smoke in the other direction, desperate to find some sort of result. She didn't know what she would do if the curl of smoke reveled a disturbance in its flow through the air. She didn't know what she would do if Faith decided to end this game of predator versus prey. But she tried her best to remain calm, to calm her breathing, to concentrate, to watch each curl of the thick tobacco smoke in search of some sort of sign that Faith was there. She listened very intently and bit back a scream when she could hear deep breaths coming from some direction. Which, Dawn wasn't sure.

It seemed to be coming from all directions, but it never disturbed the trail of smoke, so she knew that Faith wasn't too close to her, she was breathing loudly on purpose. She knew that Faith was only doing this to scare her. That this was some sort of sick joke to freak her out. But the real question was whether or not this was just Faith trying to scare Dawn. Just then something caught Dawn's attention. The trail of smoke to the left of her changed patterns, as if something flew past her. So Dawn took her precautions and yelled out a warning.

"Faith, back off! I know where you are. Don't make me hurt you!" declared Dawn, but knew better. She new that Faith could have her down for good, no question about it.

But Dawn refused to give up hope, so she slowly walked in the direction of where the disturbance in the smoke occurred. Just then though, Dawn noticed that the loud breathing had stopped and was replaced with a soft, husky chuckle that sent waves of arousal through her. She stood still, listening for any sign that Faith was coming closer to her. She closed her eyes and concentrated, slowing her breathing and trying to feel out her surroundings in her mind. Just then, Dawn felt breathing coming from behind her, but before she could respond, she felt gentle, calloused hands lightly grip her from behind, holding her by her waist, keeping her still without any resistance. Not as if Dawn wanted to back away from such gentleness, which was strange, since it was coming from Faith. So Dawn stood still and waited as she felt the strong and sexual body of the slayer as Faith crept closer and closer to Dawn, moving her hands under the hem of Dawn's shirt, but not by to much. Eventually, as Faith continued to become closer and closer to Dawn, Dawn could feel the soft, round, and large mounds of Faith's breasts press up against her back. Dawn let out a soft moan when she felt Faith's breasts press harder against her back, making Dawn slowly lean back where her head rested onto Faith's shoulder. Dawn could literally feel the seductive smile on Faith's lips as Faith brought her lips to Dawn's ear and whispered huskily into her ear.

"I really doubt that you could hurt me, Dawnie. Let alone stop me from taking what I want."

Dawn couldn't help but let out a louder moan when she heard that. Her breathing hitched as thoughts of what Faith looked like naked began to cross her mind, leaving a trail of warm arousal coming from her pussy.

"Faith," whispered Dawn. She could feel Faith's right hand caressing her stomach and slowly moving upwards under her shirt, while her left hand began its slow travel down her shaking thigh, ever so lightly caressing the area, making its way further downwards then scraping its return back up her thigh, to began its journey a second then a third time.

With each movement of Faith's hands against her body, Dawn released a soft moan, with an occasional hitch in her breathing. All Dawn could think about was how good this felt, how much she wanted it, how much she needed it.

"Dawnie," whispered Faith into her ear. Dawn tried her hardest to pay attention to what Faith was trying to tell her.

"Dawn," whispered Faith again as she began to leave a trail of kisses across Dawn's shoulder, leading up to her neck. Faith's hands continued their pleasurable caresses as she muttered, "You're too hot to ignore, Dawn. I think I'm gonna have to do something about it. Would you like that?"

Dawn, too far off in fantasies, could hardly hear or understand what Faith was saying to her, but knew that whatever Faith was saying to her, the answer should always be, "Yes."

Faith kept her seductive grin while her hands stopped their caresses for a moment so that she could turn Dawn around to see her face to face. She took a moment to watch the expression on the younger girl's face then before Dawn could react, she was suddenly on the damp ground with a look of confusion on her face. Faith, momentarily standing crouched on her hands and knees, slowly made her way downwards towards Dawn, who found it to hard to look away, too hard to stop fantasizing about what was going to happen next. Faith crawled on top of Dawn and kept going until she was directly over her. She didn't want Dawn to look away, so Faith placed her hands on either side of Dawn's head, making sure that the girl could only look up. She smiled as she watched Dawn's reaction to her, especially since her breasts were almost hanging out of her top threatening to spill onto Dawn, not like Dawn would mind. With her thumb, Faith expertly brushed a loose strand of Dawn's hair from her face then crouched down lower, shifting her weight from her arms down to her forearms. As Faith came closer and closer to Dawn, her eyes shifted downwards, to watch Dawn's pink and partly opened lips. She instantly went back into a recent memory of the morning when she first touched Dawn's lips with hers, remembering the softness of those lips and wondering if this time around Dawn would kiss her back. Give her a real feel of those lips with the crashing of their tongues fighting for control. This thought only made Faith want her more, the want starting to get the better of her.

But she new that she should have some control and keep things slow and sensual. After all, she didn't want to scare Dawn, that's not what Faith wanted at all. She wanted Dawn to trust her. Besides, Faith seriously doubted that Dawn had ever kissed a girl before. So as Faith put her lips to Dawn's, she slowly began to suck on her lower lip. As Faith began to feel Dawn respond a little to the kiss, she went a step further by letting her tongue graze Dawn's lips, seeking entrance. Dawn parted her lips just enough for Faith to slowly enter her mouth, letting her tongue taste her. Dawn greeted Faith's tongue with hers and let out a soft moan. It didn't take long for things to get heated, as both Faith and Dawn began their battle for control. Things started to get a little hot as the two kissed passionately, tongues tasting and rubbing together, forcing muffled moans of pleasure from the two.

Eventually, when lack air seemed to be a problem, Faith broke off the kiss, letting Dawn, and herself get some air into their lungs. Faith looked down at Dawn with a smile on her face. Dawn still had her eyes closed, thinking about the kiss and trying to remember what Faith tasted like.

"You ok, brat?"

Dawn opened her eyes and replied out of breath, "Not a brat."

Faith let out a husky laugh and said, "I know, I just love it when you respond to me like that. You're just so hot when you're mad."

Dawn just laughed, but didn't have time to respond, since Faith's lips were on her again, forcing her lips open and attacking her tongue. Dawn kissed her back with equal passion, forcing Faith's tongue out of her mouth and into Faith's, tasting Faith more and exploring her mouth. As Dawn was kissing her, she let her hands roam Faith's body, feeling her in places that she could have only dreamed of touching. She let her hands rest on Faith's back, concentrating on kissing Faith, pulling her closer to her as Faith moved her lips to her neck, kissing then licking her way down. After Faith had kissed and licked every inch of Dawn's neck, she resumed to kissing her and sucking on her lips, making them redden and swell. Dawn moaned in pleasure and before she knew it, her legs wrapped around Faith's ass and her hands moved up inside Faith's tank top, feeling her skin. As soon as Faith felt this, she moaned in response and started to grind her cunt against Dawn's, trying to release the pressure building within. Dawn moaned in response and began to attack Faith's neck with her lips, sucking on her pulse point, listening to Faith release a loud moan in response. Soon enough, things were starting to get even hotter, more and more out of control by the second. It was to the point where Dawn was about to remove Faith's tank top when a voice called out to them from the back door.

"Faith, Dawn, have you two seen Buffy?" The voice belonged to an injured potential named Sam.

Faith slowly got up off Dawn and desperately thought of an excuse. Luckily, Dawn replied to Sam, saying, "No I haven't. Sorry, Sam." Dawn then looked back to Faith, who was staring at Dawn's chest. "Thanks for the self defense lesson, Faith. I feel safer already." And with that, Dawn got up off the ground and walked towards the house, leaving a very horny and frustrated Faith to sit back and digest what just happened.


	4. Oh my God

_Oh my God…_

_Oh my God!_ Dawn thought as she ran up the stairs past Sam and everyone else who wasn't out slaying with Buffy. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could until she opened her bedroom door and closed it behind her before resting her young and very turned on body against the wooden door. With her head in her hands, Dawn let out a sigh and said to herself, "What did I do? This can't be happening to me!" She let out a heavier sigh as her hands flew from her face as her body jumped away from the door as if afraid that it would slam open right into her. She moved around in a circle, not even trying to avoid the sleeping bags, which her friends Gail and Kayla were sleeping in.

With her hands on her hips and head down, Dawn paced around the room and tried hard to think of something as an explanation for what just happened out in the backyard. But Dawn knew very well that she was firmly stuck in this bad situation and there was definitely no way that she was getting out of this situation so easily. With Faith definitely being involved, there wouldn't be any way around what happened. Can't ignore it, and can't give in to it.

_Yep, I'm sure as hell stuck in this business, and I'd be damned if there was a way out of this_, Dawn thought as her hands moved to her head then slid down to the back of her neck as she raised her head to look to the ceiling.

Her thoughts were elsewhere for the next few moments, as she fought hard not to remember Faith's lips against hers or her hands feeling her up. God knew that she couldn't get the thought of Faith's breasts practically spilling out of her shirt out of her mind. These recent memories were getting to be too much for Dawn, as she began to feel that heat building within her as she thought about what could have happened out there if Sam hadn't have disrupted them. Dawn couldn't have ignored the fact that if Sam hadn't have intervened then Faith and Dawn would probably be screwing. The moment was undeniably hot and there was no way that either of them would have passed up the opportunity at that moment.

_Thank God Sam interrupted us_, Dawn thought as her mind once again brought her back to the site of Faith's breasts.

The heat pooled between her thighs and Dawn let out a frustrated cry as she brushed her hair away from her face with her hands and turned herself around to look at her reflection in her mirror. Not a moment later, Dawn went to her dresser to grab her pajamas and her towel off her clothing rack then headed to the shower for a much needed cold shower to help wash away this unwanted desire. As soon as Dawn was in the shower letting the cold-water wash over her, careful as to not get her hair wet, she waited for the desire to shrivel and die, until her fingers began to look like prunes. As Dawn was finishing up her shower, she heard a knock on the door.

"I'll be out in a minute," yelled Dawn as she moved to turn off the cold water.

"Alright, brat, just don't take too long."

Dawn almost needed a second cold shower when Faith's voice rang into her mind, bringing forth memories and feelings that the cold shower should have killed off permanently.

_Oh my God_, Dawn thought as she froze on the spot. Deciding that it would be best to act like nothing was wrong, Dawn replied to Faith, "Not a brat!" Faith's raspy chuckle was enough to convince Dawn that she needed another cold shower. But she couldn't bring herself to stand under the cold water any longer, so she quickly dressed herself before opening the door and walking out of the bathroom.

But before Dawn could reach the other room, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Faith say, "How was the cold water?" Dawn turned her head around, but regretted it instantly when she saw the grin on Faith's lips.

The warmth was beginning to come back to her all because of that one grin. Dawn didn't respond to Faith, she just returned to her room and closed the door behind her shut before returning to her bed. She turned the lights off and tried her best to sleep as she tried to erase the memories of that grin on Faith's face and the sound of their tongues battling for dominance. However, before her mind finally went off to sleep, she prayed a silent prayer to God that she wouldn't fall for Faith. She prayed that her heart wouldn't be in the hands of a slayer who couldn't truly feel love or return it to anyone. She made herself believe this. She also made herself believe that all she was to Faith was a good time, and that nothing more could ever come from being with Faith. And with that, Dawn fell asleep and dreamed of nothing as sweet and unforgettable as Faith's lips against hers, letting her mind become numb to anything that was Faith, not realizing what she was doing to herself, what she was denying herself.

Faith was standing outside of Dawn's door with a plain look over her face as she tried to explain to herself why she was practically dieing over the affections of this little girl. Why her heart, mind and soul were screaming for her to be holding Dawn right now. She stood there for a moment longer as she closed her eyes and let her hands stroke Dawn's bedroom door as her mind asked her the questions that ruled her day and night mercilessly.

_I need her_, thought Faith. _I have to have her_, her thought continued as she forced herself away from Dawn's door and down to her room downstairs.


	5. Fantasizing

_Fantasizing _

When Dawn awoke the following morning, she immediately got up and got dressed. She already knew that she was going to have to spend the entire day looking for excuses so that she can avoid Faith. She knew that she was safe as of now, since it was 9:30 and Faith would most likely be out in the backyard training the potentials. So she went downstairs with ease. As soon as she was downstairs, Dawn went to the kitchen and had her usual breakfast, but before she started to eat, she had to make sure that Faith was indeed outside and occupied. So she moved to the back door to peer out the window, and saw Faith toss a poor potential to the ground while the others studied and listened to Faith's instruction. Dawn stayed for a moment to watch Faith, to study her firm, powerful body as she raised her fists and punched the air only to stop halfway through to describe how to throw a proper punch. Dawn could hear Faith talking to the potentials on the importance of a properly thrown punch when Faith seemingly sensed someone watching her and immediately swung her head towards the back door to find her watching her.

She flashed Dawn a husky grin along with a "hey" mouthed with a gleam in Faith's eye and an even wider grin when Dawn realized that she was staring and quickly left to go back to the kitchen.

Not wanting to be here when Faith was done with the potentials, Dawn quickly finished her breakfast and went to find Xander and the rest of the Scooby gang. When she found Giles, who was sitting in the living room with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, Dawn cleared her throat and waited for Giles to notice her.

"Good morning, Dawn, I trust that you rested peacefully?"

Dawn smiled and responded, "Yep, all rested up. Is there anything that I can do today, like outside of the house?" Giles averted his eyes for a moment as he thought about Dawn's question in the typical British manner.

"Well, you could help Willow and Anya find some ingredients for this spell that they're trying to perform." Dawn smiled and swung her arms loosely about, excited at Giles response.

"Sure, that sounds great! I'll go and find Willow and Anya." And with that said, Dawn left the living room in search of Willow and Anya.

When she found the pair arguing over the correct ingredients for the spell, Dawn started to question whether spending time with the pair 'together' was such a great idea. But Dawn figured that anything was better than spending time with Faith. So Dawn talked with Willow and Anya and they left soon after to get the ingredients needed. The day was spent traveling around the ghostly town of Sunnydale in search of the secret stores that would have the ingredients that Willow was looking for. If it weren't for the occasional 'too much information' talks, which Anya was pretty good at doing whenever the name Xander or a comparison to a good looking guy came across, then it would have been a perfect day. The only problem was that Dawn kept seeing Faith wherever she went, even though she wasn't physically there, which was weird and a sure sign of madness. But it truly did seem that everywhere Dawn looked there was a comparison of a dark-haired, strong and perfect complexion of a woman that seemed to be following them. But Dawn knew that Faith wouldn't be out here, since she was positive that she would be occupied with either Buffy or the potentials. Strangely enough, Dawn began to think about Faith, like what she was wearing, what she was doing…what was she talking about, and who was she talking to at this moment. Most importantly, what flavored lip-gloss was she wearing? These thoughts began to flood Dawn's imagination as she began to drift off into fantasyland even though she knew that she shouldn't, especially since the woman that she was daydreaming about was the same woman that she was trying to avoid.

But after a moment of daydreaming, Dawn realized what she was doing and quickly shook her head clear of the thoughts of Faith's body wrapping itself around hers. She forced herself to focus on what she had to do for the spell, since she was now going to be part of it. It wasn't going to be difficult or anything, but it did require concentration, which seemed to be difficult to have at the moment.

After the hour car ride back to the Summers' residence, Dawn, Willow and Anya quickly got out of the car and took in to the house all of the ingredients they had gathered that day.

While they were walking up to the door, Willow stated while trying to juggle a jar of frog skins, "Ok, guys, the faster we get this stuff inside the faster we can get this spell going and gone with the grossness."

"Yes, this is quite disgusting and I need sex, right now, from Xander…I love him," replied Anya as both Willow and Dawn gave her looks of disgust

"Yes, we got that, for about the millionth time now, Anya," Dawn replied as she rolled her eyes and tried to get the degrading rated 'R' images out of her head. _Ewww, Xander and Anya doing it…quick…must think of something totally not disgusting! Faith's breasts, hmmm…oh shit!_ Dawn thought as Faith opened the door and was looking right into Dawn's eyes.

Faith smiled as Dawn's expression changed from a 'just thinking of 'R' rated thoughts' to a shocked, 'the 'R' rated thoughts were of you' expression. Her smile was sweet, but also very uncomfortable as Dawn could somehow imagine that Faith's eyes were possibly doing more than just observing. Her eyes seemed to be undressing her and imagining more things in an 'R' rated vocabulary.

"Thanks, Faith, for holding the door for us," stated Willow as she struggled to get past the daydreaming slayer.

"No problem," replied Faith as her eyes moved slowly down Dawn's body then back up to her face.

Faith smiled again and mouthed the word "hey". Dawn tried to keep her body from shaking, and to break the eye contact, seeming as the slayer had an affect on her. Just as Dawn tried to be somewhat polite and say 'hey' back, Anya approached her from behind and said, "Hurry up, Dawn, the longer you take the longer you waste precious sex time!"

"What!" Dawn exclaimed as Faith let out a husky chuckle.

"I said, precious sex time, Dawnie!" replied Anya as she gave Dawn a light shove as her face bunched up a bit, letting out a few whiny whimpers.

"Whose sex time?" asked Dawn, trying to understand what the hell, Anya was talking about.

"Yours," replied Anya sarcastically as she suddenly gave up the attempt to move Dawn and started into the house. But before she went inside, Anya looked at Faith and said, "Hey, ex con, you look like you can control bratty teenagers. Keep a close eye on her and don't let her slack off. Watch her or she'll keep me from precious sex with Xander!"

Dawn closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as Faith chuckled and replied, "Will do. I know what this little bratty teenager needs. I think I can keep a _very_ close eye on her."

"Yeah, whatever, just, as long as you stay away from Xander," replied Anya as she walked away.

Dawn opened her eyes a moment later and tried to avoid Faith's eyes as she willed herself to move. Faith kept her eyes on Dawn and crossed her legs as she rested her weight against the doorframe.

"Are you going to come in, or are ya waiting for the Bringers to come get ya."

Dawn willed herself to remain calm and collected as she walked up the steps leading up to the front door and tried to walk through the door without touching Faith. But almost as soon as Dawn entered the house, Faith closed the door and lightly held onto Dawn's shoulder. Dawn stopped moving and her heart began to beat faster as Faith's rebellious form moved to face her.

"Let me carry some things, Dawnie. Here, I'll take this and this," said Faith as she grabbed two large jars of what looked like angel hair, but most likely wasn't, and walked towards the other room where Willow and Anya were arguing again over the order that the ingredients had to go in. Dawn followed Faith into the other room and placed the other ingredients that she was carrying on the table in front of her.

As soon as Dawn placed the jars of gross witch stuff down on the table, Faith called out to her, "Hey, Dawnie." Faith was staring at Dawn at the moment while playing with the pocket of her black jeans, which for once she wore instead of leather.

"Yeah, Faith," replied Dawn, trying to listen to what Faith was going to ask her and what Anya and Willow were arguing over.

"I need to talk to you about something."

Dawn's heart almost stopped when she flashed Faith the deer caught in the headlights impression that would have won her an Emmy as she tried to reply.

"Ok, what do you want to tell me?"

Faith glanced towards the arguing Willow and Anya and replied,

"Maybe we should talk somewhere a little more private."

Dawn followed Faith's glance towards the arguing slayers and understood what she meant. When she returned her attention to Faith, she noticed Faith looking at her nervously, almost. This in turn started to make Dawn a little nervous, as she caught Faith's thumb point in the direction where she wanted Dawn to follow her.

Dawn followed Faith to the back door where they went out into the backyard to talk, well, at least that's what the original plan was. As soon as Faith and Dawn were outside, Faith moved to sit on the steps that out looked the backyard. As soon as Faith sat down, she patted the area next to her, motioning for Dawn to come sit. Dawn hesitated for a moment, and received a momentary look of sadness from Faith's eyes, which was quickly replaced by a reassuring glance. Dawn was a little bit confused by Faith's saddened expression, and knew that she never wanted to see that again since her stomach turned at the sight of such a haunted expression. So she slowly made her way towards Faith, who let out a thankful smile. Dawn smiled back and sat with her arms on either side of her legs, her hands holding onto the step's brick edge, and her chin resting on her raised knees. They sat quietly for a moment as Faith leaned back with her hands resting behind her on the solid brick patio floor, keeping her legs straight, her feet resting on the grassy ground in front of them.

Faith then tilted her head to the left to look at Dawn, "Dawnie?"

"Yeah, Faith…"

"I know that under the circumstances what I'm going to say is probably not going to sit with you too well for the moment." Dawn tilted her head to the right to look at Faith, who was looking back at her, studying her expression and smiling at her raised eyebrow at the statement.

"What are you going to tell me, Faith?" asked Dawn as she found that looking off into the distance was better than looking at Faith at the moment.

"Dawnie, I have this place that's not too far from here. You could probably walk from here to there in, hmm, roughly thirty minutes." Dawn just looked at her, giving her a confused expression. Her eyes connected with Faith's, who smiled as she tried to make herself clearer to Dawn. "Dawn, what I'm trying to say is that I want you to come and live with me at this new place I got. Buffy Okayed it already."

"What?!" exclaimed Dawn, now facing Faith completely. "What do you mean? You want me to live with you?"

"For your safety, Dawn," replied Faith as she looked at Dawn with such admiration.

"Why did Buffy say yes? What's going on?"

Faith was looking at her funny, so she tried to explain it simply.

"Buffy's worried about you. She seems to think that you'll be in more danger here than anywhere else."

"What? That doesn't even make sense!" exclaimed Dawn as she jumped from her position on the step to walk around in circles, as Faith watched from her position on the floor. "Why would I be safer alone with you? I'm much safer surrounded by a crowd of PMSing potentials, a witch, an ex-demon, a watcher, a construction worker and a sl…" Just then, Dawn was silenced by Faith's lips, which kissed her tenderly, nipping at her lips a bit before forcing Dawn's lips open with her tongue to give her a real kiss. They kissed for a moment longer before Dawn realized what was happening, and broke away from Faith's lips, who sighed in disappointment. "Wow," replied Dawn, who hadn't noticed when Faith had risen to kiss her then had brought them back down to the floor during the kiss, as she fell onto her back looking back up at Faith, who licked her lips and gazed at her lovingly.

"You'll be safe with me, Dawnie. I won't let anything happen to you. Well, nothing that you won't like, that is." Faith chuckled at Dawn's shocked expression before checking the coast then practically jumping on Dawn forcing her to remain flat on the ground.


	6. Hurry up and Pack

_Hurry up and Pack_

Faith straddled Dawn's waist as she held Dawn's wrists to the ground. She watched and smiled as Dawn squirmed under her tight hold on her. After a moment, Dawn stopped struggling to look up at a smiling Faith. They held their gaze for a moment before Dawn attempted to try and escape once again Faith's playful hold of her.

"There's no point in trying to get away, brat."

"Not a brat!" replied Dawn as she continued to try and escape Faith's hold.

"Relax, brat, I'm not going to hurt you or even hold you for much longer. If I did then you'd never get packed and ready to go."

"I'm not going, Faith," said Dawn as she continued to struggle.

Faith grinned and tried to hide her disappointment at Dawn's attitude.

"It's for the best, Dawnie. You'll be home for visits. It's just that Buffy wants you to be someplace where the Bringers won't know your location. Buffy thinks that by changing your location, that you'll be safer."

"Yeah?" questioned Dawn as she stopped struggling so that she could take a much-needed breather.

"Definitely," replied Faith as she allowed herself one more glance at Dawn before letting her go and getting up while pulling Dawn back up to her feet. Dawn tried to avoid Faith's look and held herself tight, as the cold night air was beginning to make her shiver.

As soon as Faith noticed this, she crept closer to Dawn and held her closer to keep her warm as she whispered into her ear, "Go upstairs, Dawn, and get your things together. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Before you go to bed, you have to get ready for a spell that Willow and Anya are going to cast tonight."

Dawn frowned and asked, "What spell?"

Faith smiled and replied, "The spell that you've been running around town looking ingredients for."

"You _knew_ about that?" questioned Dawn as she moved closer to Faith to get warmer.

Faith smiled and wrapped her arms around Dawn tighter. "Yeah, we all pretty much knew about it, except for the potentials."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about it, why didn't you tell me?"

Faith shrugged a little before replying, "I was told to not tell you until now, which I'm doing."

Dawn let out a soft chuckle as she asked, "What is this spell supposed to do?"

Faith waited a moment before responding in a whisper in Dawn's ear. "It's supposed to hide your location from the First and the Bringers. And once this spell is cast, you are invisible to the First and the Bringers. Once you're inside the walls of the chosen location, you're not only invisible from the Bringers and the First, but they can't enter the area or harm you when you're safe inside the walls."

Dawn felt at ease when Faith told her this. She soon forgot how close she was to Faith, and enjoyed the feeling of warmth, which she had never felt before, only now feeling it in Faith's hold. So she let Faith hold her longer. As the minutes passed, Dawn let herself feel the rise and fall of Faith's chest against hers, and felt the need to be closer to her, but she fought the need to do so. After a moment, Dawn heard Faith whisper into her hear.

"Ok, Dawnie, we don't have much time. You got to go and pack then ready yourself for the spell." With that, Dawn realized that she was a little too close to Faith in her arms, and that wasn't such a great idea. So Dawn moved away from Faith, walked to the back door and went into the house, leaving Faith alone to smile to herself in delight of being so close to Dawn.

When Dawn entered the house, her thoughts were a complete mess.

_What am I going to do? There's no way that I'm going to spend my days and nights with Faith. _"There's no way!" Dawn practically yelled as she entered the dining room where Buffy and Giles were busy chatting. Buffy and Giles both raised their heads in response to the sudden outburst, but looked at each other knowingly.

Giles stated, "Well, I take it that Faith told her."

"Yeah, you bet she told me. Yeah, she told me how you guys plan to get rid of me. Thanks a lot, guys, for caring and all."

"Dawn, please believe me when I say that this is all for the best," explained Buffy as she tried to give a comforting smile.

"By sending me away to be in the company of, Faith, of all people!" exclaimed Dawn, her face contorted in anger.

"Dawn, we don't have a choice. I won't jeopardize your safety. I'm just afraid that there will be some kind of dark magic use on you and then the First is going to just walk right in here and take you. I need to know that you're going to be safe 24/7," Buffy attempted to explain.

"And being with Faith 24/7 is going to protect me?!" shouted Dawn as a mass of potentials rushed to get a good view of the argument.

"Dawn, you're going to live with Faith, and you're going to be safe. And you're going to like it and shut up about it! Now go upstairs, and get packed. Oh, and don't get dressed for bed yet, you have to help perform that spell first."

"No, Buffy, I…"

"Now, Dawn!" interrupted Buffy.

Dawn quickly turned herself around and ran up the stairs.

When Dawn was in her room with her door closed and her headphones on, she tried to forget for a moment about all the stress and anxiety from moments ago. She tried to forget about how weak she was beginning to feel, both mentally and physically, all because of one person. How Faith had such power over her was a mystery to her. How Faith could make her act the way she did whenever they were alone really scared her, but a small part of her enjoyed it.

_Is it wrong to enjoy it_?

As Dawn tried to pack all of her clothes and everything that she would need into her giant suitcase, she suddenly felt a gentle hand place itself around her waist, with a second hand to match. Dawn stopped what she was doing and moved her head to the right to see Faith looking back at her.

"What are you listening to?" asked Faith sweetly.

"What?" replied Dawn.

Faith smiled at Dawn and chuckled as she removed Dawn's earphones so that she could hear. "I said…what are you listening to?" asked Faith again with the same sweet tone.

"A mix CD…"

"Oh," replied Faith as she smiled at Dawn innocently before asking, "Are you almost ready? Willow wanted me to check on you, and see if you were ready for the spell."

"Uh, yeah, pretty much. Do I need anything special for this spell?" asked Dawn.

"No, you're beautiful the way you are," said Faith as she smiled at the shocked expression on Dawn's face.

_How does she manage to say the things that get me so wound up? I could fall for her right now. But I can't, I have to resist_, Dawn thought as she felt herself being confronted face to face with Faith, who looked at her sweetly.

"Dawn, you're always so beautiful," declared Faith then kissed Dawn.

It was fast, and it was innocent, and all Dawn could think was, _did she just kiss me?_ Dawn's eyes closed as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She resisted the urge to kiss Faith back, resisted the urge to move closer to her…resisted the urge to feel Faith's warm body against hers. But why did she feel this way. _It can't be real…this is fake_. Once the thought passed through her mind, Dawn moved away from Faith and turned her back towards her as she continued to pack. Faith remained as strong a stature as she could behind Dawn, trying to ignore the hurt of being so crudely rejected by Dawn.

_Why won't she let me in? Goddamn it, does this chick have Buffy's tight ass or what! _Faith thought as she tried to clear her throat before saying, "I'll be downstairs with Willow and the gang if you need me. Come down soon. The faster we get this bitch started the faster it's done."

Faith then gave Dawn one more look before walking towards the door. But before she reached the door, a small voice called out to her, "Ok."

Dawn turned her head around to catch a wide grin on Faith's lips, who replied, "So, the statue can talk. Great, then I'll see ya downstairs." Then she left, and Dawn was left alone in her room to think about how that simple grin had suddenly become the high point of her day.


	7. Out Like a Light

_Out Like a Light_

When Dawn finished packing her belongings into her huge suitcase, she sighed heavily, as she seemed to not be able to rid her thoughts of Faith's seemingly extreme sexual advances towards her. Dawn couldn't get her head around the idea of being with her, being with Faith, the strong, scary murderer.

_She's so hot. I just wish I knew why in the world a girl like her would ever want to be with me? _Dawn thought to herself as she turned away from her suitcase, packed with her stuff, to make her way towards her bedroom door. _I shouldn't even be thinking these things about her. I mean, I don't even know for sure if I'm gay, straight, or just plain old confused, as per usual_, Dawn thought to herself as she frowned at the idea of telling Buffy about the idea of being gay._ Like hell am I going to tell Buffy that I think I had an epiphany, and am now gay, she'd totally bombard me with the non-stop questions like, "you think she's hot?" for the rest of my teenage life, that is, if I live that long._

Dawn kept her frown on her young features as she made her way down the stairs to meet a gleaming Faith, who mouthed another silent, "hey" as Dawn blushed at the wild smirk on the slayer's lips.

"Hey, the brat's here!" Faith hollered as Dawn finally made her way down the stairs to walk past Faith to get to the living room to find Buffy, Willow, Anya, Giles, and Xander, all standing around a large pentagram.

"Not a brat!" responded Dawn a little late, seeing that she was having trouble paying attention to one thing at a time as her eyes moved cautiously around the dark, smoky room.

"Ok, I think we've got everything! Check, check and check. Yes, we have everything, it's all accounted for," said Willow as she brushed off the snow-white chalk off her hands as her eyes moved around each point of the pentagram as she spoke.

"So all systems go?" asked Buffy as she moved towards her sister Dawn.

"Yep, everything's good. All we need to do is set the spell." Replied Willow as she eyed Buffy strangely while Dawn watched suspiciously.

"Ok. First, we need Dawn to stand in the middle of the pentagram," stated Willow as she avoided eye contact with the young girl who just stood there eyeing everyone in the room suspiciously since everyone seemed to avoid eye contact with her.

"Come on, brat, hurry up and get with the program," uttered Faith to a suspicious Dawn in a husky voice. Dawn eyed her suspiciously, while Faith's innocent smile grew to an indescribable grin. Dawn felt her knees go weak, as the grin on Faith's lips seemed to remind Dawn exactly what effect Faith had on her. She smiled weakly back as she turned her attention to a seemingly anxious Buffy.

"So where exactly are the potentials?" asked Dawn when she suddenly remembered the fact that the house seemed unusually quiet for once in a long time.

"They went out. Now come on, Dawn, Faith's right. Get with the program and hurry it up," said Buffy a little too fast.

Dawn eyed her suspiciously. _That's strange, where are the potentials? And why won't anyone except for the oversexed Faith look me in the eye?_

As she was about to open her mouth to voice her question, Willow interrupted, "Hey, Dawnie, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid," replied Dawn as she now rested her suspicious glare at Willow. _Ok, why is everyone so silent?_ Dawn wondered to herself as she asked, "What's going on with you guys? Where is everybody?"

"They went out to patrol for the night, so that we can have some quality time _together_," stated Faith casually as she moved from her position resting against the wall to stand next to a confused Dawn.

_Ok, something isn't right here_, Dawn thought to herself as she studied the calm expression on Faith's dreamy features.

"Come on, Dawn. I promise you'll be safe, I wouldn't let anything happen to you," alleged Faith to Dawn's skeptical look, smiling reassuringly to the young teen.

"Dawn, for the love of all that is right in this world… GET MOVING NOW!" Buffy practically yelled at the young teen, who jumped at the volume of Buffy's voice. She decided that now would be a good time to get moving. As soon as Dawn entered the center of the giant pentagram, she was soon joined by the strong stature of Faith, who stood in front of the young teen inside the center of the pentagram.

Faith smiled at the young girl as she released the tight grip of her fist around the form of a small silver necklace that had a silver chain holding a beautifully designed cross in the center. "Here, Dawn, it's for you. It's already blessed," said Faith as she moved to place the silver necklace around Dawn's neck, while Dawn tried to resist the temptation to pull the slayer closer.

"Thanks," replied Dawn, as she took a minute to study the silver cross with her young fingers as Faith watched happily.

"Ok, guys, I'm gonna need you two to stand completely still, and I'll need you two to hold hands," said Willow as she walked over to Dawn and Faith while spreading incense salts in a circle around the pair.

"Sure thing, Red," responded Faith as she grabbed Dawn's hands and held them lovingly in her own. Dawn blushed at the feel of Faith's strong hands holding hers, and blushed even harder when she could feel Faith's thumbs caressing the back of her hands lovingly. Dawn tried to keep her eyes away from Faith's eyes.

"Ok, luckily Anya and I have already gone through most of the spell, so all we need to do is release the white energy. This should only take a few seconds," stated Willow as she again avoided any eye contact with Dawn, and she seemed to be a little shaky and anxious. Dawn was again confronted with the undeniable feeling that there was something not right going on, so she brought her attention back to Faith, who was watching her closely.

"Ah, Faith," whispered Dawn then waited for Faith to reply.

"Yeah, brat," replied Faith with a gleam in her eye.

"Ok, number one…not a brat! Number two: is it just me or is everyone acting really strangely?" asked Dawn as she let her eyes roam over Faith's body as she tried to control another uncomfortable gulp when she heard a husky chuckle from Faith.

"What makes you think that?" replied Faith in a whisper as she watched Dawn cautiously.

"Because nobody's telling me anything," responded Dawn in a whisper, as she suddenly felt Faith move closer to her.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Dawnie, you'll be just fine," said Faith as she gave Dawn's hands a squeeze then smiled at Dawn's look of confusion.

"Faith, do you know what's going on?" asked Dawn as she bit her lip and watched the slayer's face for any sign of a break in her grinning features.

"All I know is, that I'm gonna have to baby-sit a brat for God knows how long," responded Faith with a smile on her face.

Dawn frowned at Faith's never ending nickname for her. "Whatever," replied Dawn as she tried to ignore Faith's husky chuckle, feeling it rattle every nerve in her body. Dawn looked away from Faith to pay more attention to the great plate of white angel hair, but probably not, food coming their way. "I don't have to eat that, right, Willow?" asked Dawn as she tried to jerk away from Faith's hands to make a run for it before being forced to swallow the unidentified substance

Faith held Dawn closer as she chuckled while saying, "You're not going anywhere, brat."

Willow responded to Dawn's question. "No, Dawnie, you're not going to eat this. It's just an offering to the Gods, like everything else here." Willow stopped for a moment to point out to the different plates filled with gross looking objects, which were already placed on three of the four points of the pentagram. "The only thing that you're going to have to do besides…"

"Standing around looking hot!" interrupted Faith.

Dawn gulped uncomfortably, as she felt a little too close to Faith at the moment.

Willow blushed at Faith's comment and struggled to continue. "As I was trying to say, the only thing you'll have to do is stand there holding hands with Faith before drinking a cup full of potion to seal the deal. And that's it. The most powerful protection spell ever will be cast and you will be safe."

"That sounds easy enough for me," stated Dawn as she felt herself tremble at the feel of Faith's hands holding hers.

_Wait a minute, why is Faith being this openly flirtatious in front of everybody. Oh shit! Where's Buffy?_ Dawn thought as her eyes went bug-eyed for a moment, as she remembered all the suggestive moments that went on during this time. "Where's Buffy?" asked Dawn out loud and waited for only a moment before she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Right here," replied Buffy.

"Oh, hi," responded Dawn as she hoped to God that Buffy wouldn't go ballistic on Faith after this.

"Hey, Will, can we get this spell over and done. Got a long day ahead of us, especially for Dawn," responded Buffy as she moved to rest herself against the doorframe.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Dawn just as Willow began to chant the opening verse for the spell.

_**Ab origine**_

_**Ab incunabulis **_

_**Ab initio**_

_**A man usque admare **_

_**A mensa et thoro**_

_**A posse adesse **_

_**Abasino lanom**_

Just then, the lines that made the pentagram began to glow a beautiful and blinding light. Dawn wanted to look around and admire the scene forming around her, but found that her eyes could not leave the eyes of the women in front of her. It didn't matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to look anywhere but where Faith, who was looking back at her and smiling happily, stood.

_Why is she smiling?_ Dawn thought as she felt another wave of suspicion over come her. But as quickly as the feeling came, it was gone. Willow continued the chant, with by the lights around her getting brighter.

_**Ab hinc**_

_**A priori**_

_**Ab imo pectore**_

_**Ab intestato**_

_**Abista omen **_

_**Ad astre**_

_**Ad augusta per angusta**_

_**Abene placito**_

_**A capite ad calcum**_

Dawn stared deeply into Faith's eyes and she wanted more than anything to be even closer to her. But finding that the only action she could do was watch the slayer with intensity. She felt the slayer's hands hold hers tighter and Faith's smile grew happier and soulful as the light surrounding them began to brighten with each passing moment. Then out of nowhere, out came at least ten balls of light, soaring beautifully around the pair as Willow raised a silver chalice high towards the ceiling while the balls of light flew past her.

While Willow stood as tall and as strong as she could, the ghost of Tara appeared out of nowhere appeared on the other end of the pentagram with more offerings to the gods and goddesses, to replace the old offerings. As soon as the ghost of Tara placed the new offerings in the right places on the pentagram, more flying balls of light came from nowhere and began to fly around Dawn and Faith in a fast whirlwind of bright light. As Dawn and Faith stared longingly at each other, Willow held the silver chalice in her hands and her hair instantly changed to a bright white color while her eyes turned to black. She smiled and laughed happily as the good energy flowed through her naturally and she continued her chant, with the silver chalice held out for the gods and goddesses to bless as she yelled the last of the chant.

_**Consunctis viribus!**_

_**Per impetus!**_

_**Per amor!**_

_**Per vinculum!**_

_**Per amicitra!**_

_**Per fides!**_

_**De profundis!**_

_**Per volo!**_

_**Per indigeo!**_

_**Per orexis!**_

_**Per ieiuntas!**_

_**Per amor!**_

Just as Willow completed the last line, the silver chalice raised itself from her powerful hands and magically went in-between Dawn and Faith. Faith smiled and with all the happiness in her eyes, she mouthed the word, "drink" when the chalice went from Faith's hands to Dawn's. Dawn held the chalice in her hands after being forced to let go of Faith's hands to accept the mighty chalice. She held it unsurely and paused at the sudden and more powerful feeling of suspicion.

_I have never seen Faith look so happy before…something's not right!_

"Dawn, drink, please," mouthed Faith with a hint of worry in her eyes as she waited for Dawn to take the chalice to her lips.

"Why?" mouthed Dawn back as she looked to Faith with suspicion in her eyes.

"Please, Dawn, _trust me_…" pleaded Faith as everyone in the room looked on with worry.

"Buffy, she has to take the chalice and drink from it. She has to do it NOW!" yelled Willow out to Buffy, who watched in worry.

"Dawnie, please…trust me…drink!" mouthed Faith back, being careful as to not disrupt the mood of the spell with her voice.

_She wants me to trust her…why do I feel as though I have to? My head tells me to not trust her…while my heart tells me to drink 'til there's nothing left. What do I do?_ Dawn asked herself as she held the chalice in her hands loosely; ready to let it drop to fall to the floor.

Dawn was about to let the chalice drop to the floor when she heard a mysterious voice enter her mind, _"Drink, Diluculo, drink! You must Diluculo, drink!"_ Dawn raised her head to see the look of sadness in Faith's eyes, the same look that she swore that she never wanted to see again. "I'm so sorry, Faith," mouthed Dawn back to a saddened Faith.

"Dawn, trust me…please, trust me!" mouthed Faith back with determination.

"Why?" Dawn asked again in a whisper as the voice muttered softly into her mind, _"Drink, Diluculo, drink! You must, Diluculo, drink!"_

Faith stared in wonder at Dawn's lost look as she tried to muster all the power in her to say the words that could haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Faith, get her to drink! We don't have much time, the Gods and Goddesses are getting angry!" hollered Willow at Faith, who nodded her head in response before looking Dawn in the eyes.

"Dawn," Faith called out.

"Yes?" responded Dawn as the voice still chanted over and over again in her mind, _"Drink, Diluculo, drink! You must, Diluculo, drink!"_

"I love you," replied Faith with all the feeling that she held for Dawn, vocalizing and making each of the three words undeniable. Dawn gasped at the confession then smiled while responding joyfully,

"…I trust you, Faith." And with that, Dawn brought the chalice to her lips and drank lovingly of the sweet nectar that was the wine of the mysterious spell.

_**Consummatam est!**_

The very second after Willow chanted the last part of the spell, the voice inside Dawn's head quieted down to a voiceless shadow as she continued to drink the entire contents of the potion. Once finished, Dawn dropped the chalice to the floor and smiled joyfully at Faith, who smiled lovingly back at her.

"Faith…did…you…wow…wait a minute," stated Dawn as she suddenly began to feel weak and tired. "What's happening to me?" she asked as she glanced up at a guilty Faith, who reached out to grab onto a wobbly Dawn as the light around them started to die down.

"Dawn!" exclaimed Faith as she tried to grab on to the young girl, but failed when Dawn pulled away.

"I'll be ok...just a little tired…" Dawn tried to continue, but was interrupted by the sudden attack of almost fifteen white balls of light that harshly entered her body, releasing harsh gasps of pain from the young teen.

"Dawn! Hey, Red, you said she wouldn't feel anything! What the hell is this?" screamed Faith as the light that surrounded them died down, and seemed to enter Dawn just like the balls of light did.

"Everything's happening like it's supposed to. Don't worry, Faith, she'll be fine later." responded Willow as her white hair and black eyes began to change back to their natural state.

"You better hope you're right, Red, that's all I'm gonna say," responded Faith as she tried to hold down the jerking teen. "Dawn, come on, brat, control yourself," pleaded Faith with the teen as she waited for the jerking to calm down.

After a moment more of waiting, the jerking died down to reveal a tired and weak Dawn looking up to a relieved Faith.

"Faith…" Dawn called out with a weak voice.

Faith responded, "Hey, brat, you alright?"

"Yeah…just a bit…tired…" replied Dawn, before passing out with exhaustion.

"Is she…?" Buffy called out from her standing position.

"…Out like a light…yeah. She'll be out for awhile," replied Faith as she cradled the unconscious teenager in her arms, making sure that the girl's head was comfortably supported.

**_Authors Note:_ **In case anyone wanted to know what the English meaning to the Latin spell that Willow is chanting in this chapter, I have the translations here. I'm not completely sure if this is all right, but pretty close, considering I don't speak the language. lol

**_Ab origine_**- from the origin

**_Ab incunabulis_**- from the cradle

**_Ab initio_**- from the beginning

**_A man usque admare_**- from sea to sea

**_A mensa et thoro_**- from board and bed

**_A posse adesse_**- from possibility to actuality

**_Abasino lanom_**- wool from ass (donkey you may presume, lol), blood from a stone impossible

**_Ab hinc_**- from here on

**_A priori_**- from what comes before

**_Ab imo pectore_**- from the bottom of the chest (heart)

**_Ab intestato_**- having made no will

**_Abista omen_**- no offence intended

**_Ad aster_**- to the stars

**_Ad augusta per angusta_**- to the high places and narrow roads

**_Abene placito_**- at ones pleasure

**_A capite ad calcum_**- from head to heel

**_Consunctis viribus!_**- with united powers

**_Per impetus! _**- with passion

**_Per amor! _**- with love

**_Per vinculum!_** - with bond

**_Per amicitra!_** - with friendship

**_Per fides!_** - with trust

**_De profundis!_** - up from the depths of misery

**_Per volo!_** - with want

**_Per indigeo!_** - with need

**_Per orexis!_** - with desire

**_Per ieiuntas!_** - with hunger

**_Per amor!_** - with love

**_Consummatam est!_** - it is completed

**_Diluculo_** - this word means Dawn in English…I thought that it would be cool to have the mysterious voice use the Latin term for 'Dawn' when it was trying to get Dawn to drink from the chalice. I was trying to find the correct word for 'drink' in Latin, but I couldn't find it, so I just stuck with the English word instead.


	8. Pectum Serva

_Pectum Serva_

Dawn's awake. At least, that's what she thought she is as she scanned the desert floor around her. The hot sun beat mercilessly down on her as she took a few steps to the left then another few to the right. As her hand moved to cover her eyes, she tried to make out the bright area around her. The sun was hot, and the burning sensation on the flats of her feet began to grow painfully as she realized that she was barefoot and walking the desert alone.

She covered her eyes completely when she felt the brightness of the sun reflecting off the sand and began to blind her painfully. She whimpered at both the pain in her eyes and the pain on her feet, and started to jump from one foot to the other, trying to avoid some of the pain. She moved her hands from her eyes just enough to peer out towards the horizon in search of a place to go where her feet wouldn't roast. After a few moments of frantic jumping from foot to foot, she heard the mysterious voice call out again in her mind.

"_Diluculo_," it whispered as she frantically look around her in search of the voice.

"Who are you?" she yelled out loud as she pulled the back of her shirt lower to cover her ass as she sit down on the sand in an attempt to keep herself from the burning pain. The added clothing blocked most of the searing heat from her body as she tried to balance herself on her ass. It's awkward, but it protects her flesh from the heat.

"_Diluculo_," the voice called out again as she tried to keep her balance while searching around her for any sign that anyone was there.

"Where are you?" she yelled out again. She waited for the voice to respond to her question, closing her eyes from the heat, and feeling herself cry at the stinging sensation in her eyes. Her eyes are closed shut as moisture from her tears streaked down her face, only to dry up in a matter of seconds. She whimpered in pain as she began to feel the sand beneath her heat her ass. She remained in her seated position as she yelled out in both pain and fear of the unknown. "You better cut it out or…or else…or else the slayer...wait, make that two slayers…they'll kill you!" She whimpered in both fear and pain when she heard the voice chuckle softly at her statement. "I'm not joking around…in fact…one of those slayers that I know…well, she loves me and I know that she'll come for me…and she'll kill you too for hurting her…hurting her girlfriend!" she yelled out loud as she tried not to smile at the idea of Faith being her girlfriend.

She still has her eyes shut when she senses an unfamiliar presence stand behind her. She jumped up from her place on the ground and tried desperately to move away from the unidentified figure. But as she tried to get away, she felt a powerful hand grasp her leg, forcing her to stop. She paused when she heard the creature's voice echo in her mind, even knowing that the thing was right in front of her.

_Holy shit_, she thought to herself as she tried to get away once again, but could not.

"Diluculo…don't be afraid. I know who you are…and what you are," said the creature.

She whimpered in pain at the feel of the hot sand against her unprotected skin.

_Oh great, another person who knows I'm just a large ball of green energy…great_, she thought to herself as she struggled to calm herself down then suddenly felt the creature's grasp on her leg loosen.

"You are much, much more than just a big ball of green energy, my dear Diluculo," stated the creature.

Her breath hitched in surprise at the creature's obvious ability to read minds.

"So...you can read minds?" asked Dawn as she kept her eyes shut.

"No…that is not important right now," responded the creature as it constantly shifted its position in a creepy dance-like way.

"What are you?" asked Dawn in a low and fearful voice while trying to ignore the painful burn from the sand touching her unprotected skin.

"The question, my dear, isn't 'what I am'…but more, 'who I am' that is a better question," responded the creature as it continued its awkward shifting.

Dawn frowned at the creature's correction of her question, so she asked again, wording her words differently.

"Ok…I'm sorry, you're right…hm, 'Who are you?'"

"I am a friend…a friend of yours as well as your sister…the chosen one." replied the creature as it watched the pained teenager struggle against the heat of the sun and the sand.

"…A friend of my sister's? What does she call you?" asked Dawn as she tried to position her body in a way that would keep the sand from any contact with her flesh.

The creature chuckled in amusement as it replied, "The question isn't 'what she call's me', but 'what I am called' that is the better question."

If Dawn could open her eyes, she would have rolled them in annoyance after the creature's criticism of her question.

"Ok, ok…what are you called?" asked Dawn as casually as she could while awaiting the creature's response.

"I am called The First Slayer…I was the beginning of what your sister represents," replied the First Slayer.

Dawn relaxed at the realization of who the creature was.

"I know of you…but what of your name…what was…is your name?" asked Dawn as she sat where she was positioned, waiting for the First Slayer to respond.

"You may know me as The First Slayer…but my name…my name was and is...Sineya…" responded The First Slayer.

"Can I call you by your name?" asked Dawn as she grimaced at the sun's heat against her face.

"You may…if that is your wish," responded Sineya casually. Not a moment later, Sineya grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Come…follow…we do not have time to waste…" commanded Sineya, practically dragging the blinded teen by her hand.

At the sudden pull from the powerful Sineya, Dawn opened her eyes for just a moment to try and see where exactly they were going. But with an even brighter flash of light, she was forced to close her eyes for a second more before opening them again to find herself in a sitting position in front of a fireplace, with Sineya watching her in a crouching position on the other side of the fire.

"Wow, how did you do that," asked Dawn as she blinked a couple times to get used to the sudden change in the lighting.

"That is not important right now," replied Sineya, watching the teen intently. "What is important is that you understand the path that has been chosen for you…what is important is that you listen and understand. What I will tell you will not make sense right now…but if you are truly ready to find out…you will look for that answer. And when the time is right…you will find the answer," replied Sineya as Dawn watched her in confusion.

"Wait…what are you trying to tell me?" asked Dawn as she watched Sineya curiously.

Sineya smiled a somewhat sweet smile as she continued to rock herself from side to side. "Pectum serva, Diluculo…"

"Wait, I don't understand what you're saying!" interrupted Dawn as Sineya stopped for only a moment before continuing.

"Diluculo, adamo Fides, Fides adamo, Diluculo…Diluculo, per Fides amo…" stated Sineya, smiling at the confused look on the young teen's features.

"Ok, wait a minute…I really need to write this down for future references," replied Dawn as she stared back at a grinning Sineya.

"No time," stated Sineya just as a familiar whisper of her name entered Dawn's mind and tingled her senses.

"Dawnie….wake up, Dawnie, please…" said the familiar voice.

"Faith?" whispered Dawn back while Sineya watched.

"It's time for you to return to her."

"But wait! I don't know what those cryptic thingies you told me mean. What do they mean?" asked Dawn as she anxiously waited for Sineya to reply.

"You will know what they mean when the time is right…this is for you to discover, all I can do is watch and hope," replied Sineya as she watched the confused teen pace back and forth while the sounds of the familiar voice echoed in her mind.

"Dawnie…come on, Dawnie, you have to wake up now…"

Dawn stopped her pacing and turned her attention back to a smiling Sineya before asking, "What do you mean, 'all I can do is watch and hope? What does that mean?!" exclaimed Dawn. Sineya chuckled in amusement.

"You are not needed to know yet…but when the time is right…you will know," informed Sineya just as a large bright flash erupted, causing Dawn to close her eyes and whimper in both surprise and pain.

**_Authors Note:_ **The meaning of the Latin phrase that Sineya, The First Slayer, says to Dawn will be revealed in future chapters. Let's just say that, that phrase has a big meaning when it comes to Faith and Dawn's relationship. So that, along with the reason why Faith and Dawn have fallen in love so soon, will all be revealed. EnJoY!


	9. I Was a Fool

_I was a fool_

For a moment everything went white before changing to black, as Dawn tried as hard as she could to open her eyes. When she could feel herself slipping back into reality, she suddenly felt the feeling of big, soft lips pressed against hers. She was finally able to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw were Faith's deep and happy eyes looking longingly back into hers.

Flesh against flesh brought out an uncontrolled moan that escaped Dawn's lips as she stared wide-eyed into space. Then she asked cautiously, "Uh, Faith…"

"Yeah, brat," replied Faith with a grin as her hand went to caress the young cheek of a confused Dawn.

"Uh…mmm…are you…are you naked?" asked Dawn uneasily then released a heavy sigh when she felt Faith's bare leg move itself between her thighs.

Faith chuckled in amusement as she replied, "Do you want me to be?" She licked Dawn's pulse point, releasing an even heavier moan from the teen.

"Ahh," whimpered Dawn as she felt Faith's thigh add more pressure to the young girl's cunt.

Faith stayed in her position over the young and now aroused Dawn, staring longingly into Dawn's eyes as she chuckled huskily at the girl's reaction.

"Oh, come on, Dawnie…I haven't even done anything remotely moanable yet. You're thinking ahead, aren't you?" teased Faith as she watched the young girl's aroused expression.

_Wait…what am I doing in bed with Faith?_ Dawn thought to herself as flashes of the recent encounter with The First Slayer flew back into her thoughts, while staring blankly up at a wondering slayer. _What did she tell me? Damn it, I can't remember!_

_She's so beautiful…God! Why does it feel as though I've known her my whole life? She makes me feel so goddamn hot!_ Faith thought to herself as she lowered her lips to an oblivious Dawn and kissed the girl tenderly.

Dawn, who squealed in surprise, quickly loosened up when she felt Faith's tongue begging for entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips and sighed as she felt Faith's tongue seek hers out in a loving kiss. After a few moments of kissing, Faith's hands began their loving caresses on Dawn's partly exposed stomach. Dawn moaned in approval. As the moments passed and as the kisses soon turned hungry and passionate, it took all of Dawn's strength to break away from the pleasurable kiss and caresses from Faith.

"Faith, wait…" said Dawn out of breath.

Faith looked at the young girl in both confusion and worry as she panted heavily and tried to ignore the powerful urge to kiss Dawn again.

"What is it, Dawn, I thought you liked this?" asked Faith as she continued to caress Dawn's partly exposed stomach.

"I…do…I really, really do. But…" Dawn attempted to continue, but was having trouble doing so due to Faith's lips falling onto hers in a rough, demanding kiss. Dawn struggled to break away.

"I get it…you like it rough and demanding…don't you?" asked Faith with a wild grin on her lips as Dawn struggled to recover from the all-to-quick mind-blowing kiss.

"Huh…I…that's not…mmm," Dawn tried to continue, but Faith's lips attacked hers once again with the same demanding hunger.

Dawn kissed Faith back with the same amount of force, moaning into the kiss with each private touch from Faith's hands, and from the feel of Faith's all to addictive and talented tongue against hers. Faith's hand was very close as the rim of Dawn's pants when Dawn became aware of the fact that at any moment she'd be at Faith's mercy. So Dawn abruptly pushed the aroused slayer off her while practically throwing herself off the bed. On the floor and panting heavily, Dawn tried to get up, but immediately fell back down on her ass when she felt a stinging pain on the flat of her feet.

"What the hell?" said Dawn out loud, clenching her teeth in pain while trying to examine her feet, searching for the reason for the pain.

Faith moved away from the covers of the bed to position herself to watch the young girl.

"What's wrong?" she asked while trying to rid herself of the disappointment in Dawn's apparently not in the mood actions.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Dawn as she examined the blisters on the flats of her feet, her eyes going bug-eyed as well as Faith's.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Faith, quickly jumping off the bed to sit next to the pained teen. "Dawnie, what the hell is this?" she asked as she carefully examined each foot as Dawn hissed at the pain.

"It was this…this…well…I don't know what it was. I think it was some kinda of dream," explained Dawn as she leaned into Faith's shoulder, hissing at the pain.

"What kind of dream was it?" asked Faith, watching Dawn with a worried expression.

"I don't know. All I remember is the feeling of hot fireballs passing through me…then waking up in this desert place where this…"

"Shit, this shouldn't have happened…this wasn't the plan," interrupted Faith, who seemed to be talking more to herself rather than to Dawn as she moved away from the injured teen to reach for the first aid kit on the dresser in front of them.

"What do you mean, Faith? What's going on?" asked Dawn as she lightly touched the burnt and blistering skin on the flats of her feet.

"Nothing," responded Faith in an almost unheard response.

"What do you mean, 'nothing'…obviously there's something going on?" questioned Dawn, clenching her teeth and hissing at both the pain and the look of the burnt skin on her feet.

"Just, nothing…forget about it…"

"How can I forget about it? I knew that dream was real…it felt way too real to just be a dream. And now I'm hurt…don't you care?" asked Dawn as she stared at the almost depressed looking slayer as she waited for an answer.

"Of course I care, Dawn…" replied Faith, refusing to look Dawn straight in the eye and finding the floor to be more interesting.

"Then what's going on, Faith? The last thing I remember is that weird spell we did and then that weird dream and then…"

"Yes, Dawn, I know, ok, I was fucking there, already!" yelled Faith as she brought her hand to cover her face for a moment before letting it fall weightlessly.

"What happened then…what's going on?" asked Dawn as the past suspicion came back to her with a vengeance and watched the seemingly depressed slayer.

"Dawn…I really didn't want to be the one to tell you this…"

"Tell me what, Faith! You want to tell me why the hell I'm not in my room...care to explain why I'm suddenly in my PJ's?" asked Dawn with firmness in her voice and watching the slayer tense up.

"I put your PJ's on for you after I carried you from the living room of your house to the bedroom of the safe house…"

"You what!" exclaimed Dawn as she moved her hands to cover her chest, staring in disbelief at the knowledge of what Faith had done while she was unconscious.

"Yeah…" said Faith in a low and ashamed voice, trying to avoid the look of shock and what seemed like betrayal on the young teen's face.

"Did you touch…"

"Of course not! No fuckin' way!" snapped Faith then waited a moment to calm her voice down before continuing. "I avoided touching every private area. I kept my goddamn eyes closed and only looked when I was trying to find your fuckin' arm and put it through the goddamn sleeves and shit!"

"How can I believe that?" asked Dawn as she watched the flustered slayer try and find the right words to use next.

"Because I know that you'd hate me forever if I peeked at you. Goddamn it, Dawn, I'm not a fucking rapist…I'd never do that to you…I couldn't!" continued Faith as she tried to reassure Dawn.

Dawn shook her head in disbelief at what she heard, struggling to ask another question.

"Faith…"

"Dawn, please don't ask…"

"I have the right to know what else you did when I was out!" yelled Dawn. Faith snapped her head back to study the wall on her right.

"Ok…you're right…you need to know…" admitted Faith as she began to feel even more depressed.

"That spell..."

"Jesus…"

"Don't fucking interrupt!" commanded Dawn as she tried to keep herself from shaking in both anger and sadness. Faith shut her mouth and tried to remain completely still as she waited for Dawn to ask her again. "That spell…what the fuck was it?" asked Dawn as her mind instantly flashed back to the moments shared between herself and Faith while the spell took place.

"It was just a spell, Dawnie…"

"The fuck it was! Tell me the truth," Dawn almost pleaded as she watched the slayer in front of her shut her eyes in what appeared to be fear.

Dawn waited for the slayer to respond for what seemed like hours before asking, "Faith…remember what you said to me while that spell was going on?"

Faith refused to look at the teen, she simply responded, "Yes."

Dawn kept her eyes glued to the dark slayer and continued, "You told me to trust you."

"Yes," replied Faith again as simply as she could and moved her eyes to the floor.

"Then tell me about that spell? Why was everyone avoiding eye contact with me?" asked Dawn.

Faith opened her mouth to reply. "They…"

"Don't even feed me that bull! You know they wouldn't make eye contact with me because they were hiding something from me…and you know why!" said Dawn as she knowingly predicted what Faith was going to say as an excuse. "Tell me the truth, Faith…you told me to trust you…so help me to. Let me know that you'll tell me the truth when I ask for it," stated Dawn as she watched the dark slayer's depressed features.

"Ok, Dawn…I'll tell you," replied Faith, tilting her head downward to hide the fear and sorrow upon her depressed features.

"The spell," Dawn reminded Faith, as she waited impatiently for Faith to tell her the truth.

"Dawnie…the spell wasn't just a protection spell. It was partly a lie to get you to do it willingly…" started Faith, taking in a long breath of air when she noticed the questioning expression on Dawn's face out of the corner of her eye. "The spell… Think of it as a ceremony…a wedd…"

"WHAT! YOU MARRIED ME!" screamed Dawn at the top of her lungs as she jumped onto her feet, looking as if to physically attack Faith, but quickly collapsed to the floor when she felt the seething pain in her feet.

"Ok, so maybe that wasn't the best way to describe it," said Faith, avoiding the enraged look in Dawn's eyes. "Ok, ok, think of it like this…hmmm…a physical, emotional, and mental bond to each other…that kind of spell," Faith tried to explain.

Dawn seemed to be stuck between rage and confusion as she questioned, "What does that mean?"

Faith glanced at Dawn for a second as she tried to think of a good definition to the word 'bond'. After a moment of thought, she replied, "A strong force of attraction holding atoms together in a molecule or crystal, resulting from the sharing or transfer of electrons."

"Nice try, Faith, but we're not exactly molecules and atoms in the scientific term of 'bond', if you know what I mean," replied Dawn as she kept her eyes glued to the floor in front of her. Faith turned around to face the angered teen.

"No, maybe not, Dawnie, but I know that what we feel for each other is very chemical…the purist of physical attraction…and when we hold each other and really connect…it's like…like we form something beautiful, we form a crystal which is two hearts beating for one reason…"

"And what reason is that," interrupted Dawn as she watched Faith curiously.

The slayer continued, "…love."

As soon as that four-letter word escaped Faith's lips, Dawn stared at her with mixed emotions, shown in a mass of confusion on the young girl's features.

"How can I believe that? I was a fool to believe that you actually loved me, Faith. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I actually believed you when you said you loved me. How can a person fall madly in love with someone that they've only known for less than a week?" asked Dawn as Faith struggled to respond without breaking down in tears.

"They can't," Faith finally managed to say.

"That's right…they can't, no one can…but…" said Dawn. She stopped for a moment, to place her hand on the necklace that Faith had given her, then she continued, "…but I did…" finished Dawn as she moved her hands to the back of her neck to unhitch the silver chained necklace as Faith watched in pain. With the necklace in her hands, Dawn continued her speech.

"This whole thing was a lie, Faith. You can't love…at least, you can't love me." And with that, she threw the necklace to the floor and avoided Faith's stone-old features as she continued, "Please leave."

"I can't," Faith managed to reply.

"LEAVE!" yelled Dawn. Faith stood as still as a stone as her eyes fell on the necklace that rested not far from her feet.

"At least let me bandage your feet…"

"I can do it on my own," interrupted Dawn as tears began to fall down her hurt face.

Faith decided that she should go before she angered Dawn any more, so she left the room that she had hoped to share with Dawn for as long as possible, but obviously it had been enough. It didn't seem that things would be going as well as she would have hoped.

_I guess the honeymoon is over_, thought Faith as she picked up the phone to call the Summers' residence to inform Buffy about Dawn's health.


	10. Invisible Attraction

_Invisible attraction_

Faith sat on the couch with her feet pressed against the wooden table in front of her while watching the news. She took a sip of her beer as she clutched it loosely in her hand, while she studied the new drama unfolding in some city in America. It had been two weeks since the large argument she'd had with Dawn, and since then, the two hadn't been all that talkative.

**...Good evening, tonight's story; a series of peculiar killings have erupted throughout the area of Los Angeles. It appears that the victims' bodies have been savagely ravaged and torn to pieces. Some appear intact for the most part, except for two small punctures on their necks…**

_What a pleasant surprise. Seems this bitch is spreading itself beyond Sunnydale…huh! Wonder what dead boy's doing about it,_ Faith thought to herself as she smirked for no particular reason as the reporter continued his report.

…**No details are yet to be revealed to the general public, but the officers and crime investigators are looking into possibilities of an occult and perhaps a psychotic killer. They have promised to reveal as much as they know about these murders as soon as they know anything…**

"What are you watching?" inquired Dawn's gentle voice.

"What? You can't put two and two together and tell that I'm watching the news?" replied Faith harshly as she continued to focus on what the dorky reporter was trying to say.

"Sorry," replied Dawn as she moved from her previous position to sit next to Faith. As soon as Dawn sat on the couch, Faith couldn't help but move away from the girl, in an attempt to avoid any contact.

As Faith stole a quick glance in Dawn's direction, she knew instantly, from the look on the girl's face, that she had hurt her feelings. _What do I care if I hurt her…she's the one that doesn't want anything to do with me,_ Faith thought to herself as she cocked her head back.

…**The only thing we know as of now, is that there were three victims this time, savagely murdered about 1:30 AM this morning while apparently on their way home from the pub…their names will not be released to the public, but the possible families of the victims have been contacted and are in the process of identifying the bodies….**

As Faith sat quietly, eyes glued to the screen, she noticed Dawn's watchful eyes studying her every move. Beginning to feel both uncomfortable and annoyed, Faith struggled to ignore her.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you…"

"Don't be," interrupted Faith coldly, her eyes still glued to the screen. She remained immobile as thoughts of the other night circulated her mind, the moment she had with Dawn in bed, the fight when she awoke, the razorblade-like comment that hit her harder than anything imaginable.

"_**How can I believe that? I was a fool to believe that you actually loved me, Faith. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I actually believed you when you said you loved me. How can a person fall madly in love with someone that they've only known for less then a week?" asked Dawn as Faith struggled to respond without breaking down in tears. **_

"_**They can't," Faith finally managed to say.**_

"But I am sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that. I shouldn't have said what I said. I don't know why I would say…"

"You said it because it's true, Dawn…everything you said about me, it's true," rebounded Faith scornfully, as the thoughts of Dawn's seething comment reminded her why she shouldn't want to hold the young woman and kiss her lovingly.

"_**This whole thing was a lie, Faith. You can't love…at least, you couldn't love me."**_

Dawn looked to Faith, dumfounded by her response. Faith continued to keep her eyes glued to the TV, while bringing her now room-temperature beer to her lips. Dawn watched Faith in confusion as Faith took shallow sips from her beer before placing it down on the table and reached for the remote. Faith changed the channel to another News station. Dawn watched her closely as Faith grabbed her beer then relaxed back into her sitting position.

"You don't have to worry about the spell, Dawn…it doesn't mean anything. I talked to Willow and the gang and they're trying to find a better-stronger spell that'll be more to your liking," Faith finally replied as she again raised the beer to her lips, to gulp the last of the contents down her throat. With the bottle now empty, she leaned over to rest it on the wooden table next to the two other empty bottles.

"Oh," Dawn managed to reply as she strangely looked to Faith. "So…we're getting a divorce?" asked Dawn.

Faith jerked her head in Dawn's direction then she chuckled out a reply, "We ain't married, kid…"

"But you said that we were because of that spell," Dawn. Faith chuckled for a moment, trying to not notice the hurt expression on Dawn's face.

"We didn't exactly consummate the marriage, did we?" replied Faith smartly, as she, for once, let her eyes rest equally with Dawn's-before bringing her gaze back to the TV set.

"Consummate?" asked Dawn as she gave Faith a look of uncertainty.

"Yeah, you know… Consummate: to make a marriage legally complete and fully valid by having sexual intercourse" explained Faith as if she were a dictionary. _More smart-ass remarks like these, and I swear to God Dawn's gonna hate me soon_, Faith thought to herself.

"What?" replied Dawn in obvious confusion. Faith flashed her an incredulous look, before attempting to explain it to her simply.

"We didn't fuck," replied Faith bluntly. Dawn looked at her sharply, while Faith started to laugh uncontrollably at Dawn's obvious virginity. Dawn sat there in quiet contemplation as Faith, in her slightly drunken state, walked to the fridge to get more beer.

When Faith finally returned to the couch again, she popped off the beer cap, and suddenly became aware of Dawn's eyes watching her closely. She tried to ignore Dawn's stare by taking a long drink of her cold beer.

"You hate me, don't you?" asked Dawn as Faith chanced a quick glance at her before returning her gaze back to the TV.

"I don't hate you, Dawn…"

"Then why are you being such a bitch to me?" interrupted Dawn angrily. Faith chuckled at the girl's boldness.

"Because it's who I am," replied Faith while switching the channel to something more interesting.

"You ignore me now," Dawn told her as she paused for just a moment before continuing.

"You're not as affectionate as you used to be…"

"Who the fuck do you think I am? I ain't your bitch!" Faith practically exploded when the annoyance began to grow within her.

"What the hell has gotten into you? Ever since that night when I said something that was totally untrue…"

"You bet your ass it was untrue…"

"Let me finish!" shouted Dawn back. Faith chuckled at Dawn's attempt at being all grown up like. "Ever since that night-you avoid me, you don't even talk to me. I know that I haven't been all that talkative either, but at least I tried to talk to you," enlightened Dawn as she stared at Faith, waiting for her to reply.

"Dawn…let's get this bitch straight…I'm here to protect you, make sure that you don't get filleted alive by The First or its goons. My job isn't to talk to you and be your best friend," explained Faith, before taking a large gulp of beer while watching Jeopardy.

"So, seducing me and making out with me on more than one occasion doesn't mean anything to you?" asked Dawn, staring at Faith in disbelief.

"Look, alright...I may have had some feelings for you…but it's been like two weeks of you being pissed at me and avoiding me. You only started talking to me two days ago. Dawnie babe, I got over you. I'm here to do my job, and as long as you're alive, Buffy will allow me to be alive," explained Faith as Dawn shakes her head in disbelief. Dawn looked at Faith in disbelief and asked with a smirk,

"You've gotten over me? What the hell does that mean? We had only known each for less than a day and half before you started playing tonsil hockey with me. You were head over heels for me before the week even ended," replied Dawn as she began to move closer to Faith.

"Dawn…let me explain something to you…" began Faith her reply, before her voice suddenly lost its volume…before the sudden yet powerful attraction pulled her and Dawn together. Faith gulped nervously when she realized just how close Dawn's lips were to her own. Dawn's lips were so close to Faith's that Faith could swear that she could taste them already.

"What's wrong with us?" whimpered Dawn as her lips slowly made their way to Faith's.

"I don't know," Faith barley replied back before the urge to taste Dawn's lips became too powerful for her.

Before Faith could stop herself, she soon felt her lips mold into Dawn's as they kissed passionately. With their hands roaming each other, Faith soon finds herself pressed up against the side of the couch with a dominating Dawn straddling her hips. Faith watched the girl as if in a trance, letting her hands roam up the small of Dawn's back-pulling her closer as they kissed. With Faith's hands stroking the skin of Dawn's exposed lower back, Dawn slowly let her hands roam up Faith's sides before resting on the older girl's breasts. With the feel of Dawn's hands on her breasts, Faith quickened the pace of their kissing, and the heat in the room quickly intensified. The passion showed no signs of stopping, as Faith began to move her hands up the back of Dawn's shirt in search of the girl's bra strap. She smiled into the kiss when Dawn moaned in pleasure. They kissed tenderly before Dawn's young hands cupped Faith's breasts once again, which brought a wave of excitement over the girls as they began to kiss each other passionately. As the heat began to heighten between them, Faith's hands quickly found their way up the back of Dawn's shirt in continued search of the girl's bra strap.

After the strap was unhooked, the bra found its way down to the floor as Faith and Dawn stare into each other's eyes. Then Faith kissed Dawn with intensity while she moved to prop herself against the side of the couch, with Dawn straddling her. Faith's hands soon find their way up Dawn's shirt and slowly began caressing the flat of Dawn's stomach before moving upward to hold Dawn's smooth mounds. Dawn sighs in response to Faith's gentle hold of her breasts, especially when Faith began to caress the mounds lovingly while a smile played on her lips. The feeling of familiarity fell over the two, their minds seeming to be connected on one thing; giving the other exactly what they need. Faith stopped her caresses on Dawn's breasts, only to pull the girl closer to her before placing a gentle, reassuring kiss on her young pink lips. Faith stared at the girl's body for a moment before she began to slowly inch the girl's shirt up. As Faith moves the shirt up, inch-by-inch, she kissed every inch of newly exposed skin, while Dawn held the slayer's head closer to her. The kisses soon turned to seductive licks when Faith slowly moved the shirt up past Dawn's head, as the girl moved her hands up in order to help Faith remove her shirt. Faith took a moment to study the girl before her, now without bra and shirt, and Faith can't help but let her eyes devour the girl. Her petal smooth skin, her beautiful young breasts seemed to call out to her. She flashed an appreciative glance towards Dawn, who responded with her own encouraging look. Faith kissed Dawn lightly before asking,

"Is this ok?" then placing a shaky hand upon the girl's breast. Dawn nodded in her arousal and Faith grinned before placing her lips on the soft skin, and kissing her way to an erect nipple, which resulted in a sharp gasp from a now very aroused Dawn.

Faith grinned in response before making circular motions with her tongue around Dawn's erect nipple, and listened, as Dawn can't help but moan in pleasure. Dawn placed her hand on the back of Faith's head, gasping at the feel of Faith's teeth gently biting her nipple. She groans, suddenly aware of the throbbing sensation between her thighs. She breathes harder as she grinds her pussy against Faith's thigh and mouths Faith's name as if she were in a trance. Her sight goes foggy for an unexplainable reason, as a strange flash comes over both Faith and Dawn's sight. Before they know it, they're trapped in a strangely familiar memory, one that seems too mystical to even believe.

_**A dark room surrounded by the low chants of seven hooded monks chanting over the form of what appeared to be a young woman, glowing with a bright, alluring green glow as more chanting and whispering echoed through the room. **_

_**Another flash of light untimely revealed a hooded figure with womanly hands, and long, dark, wavy hair walking slowly towards the young glowing woman lying unaware on the table. As the mysterious woman crept closer, she lifted her strong hands, which had been out of sight, to reveal in their grasp a beautiful silver chained necklace, with a beautifully-designed silver cross. **_

_**With another flash came the voice and appearance of The First Slayer, Sineya, who had a warm smile on her face, followed by the mysterious words that came from a language lost from almost all people's understanding. "Pectum serva, Diluculo…Diluculo, adamo Fides, Fides adamo, Diluculo," uttered Sineya just as the monstrous form of The First erupted from the darkness of a corner and lunged out towards the subconscious eyes of Faith and Dawn.**_

With one final flash, Faith and Dawn quickly found themselves back to their own world, with looks of confusion and fear.

"What the hell was that?" asked Dawn as she moved off a dazed slayer to retrieve her bra and shirt.

"A very good reason for you to stay a virgin…" joked Faith as Dawn finally got her shirt back on.

"Ha-ha, very funny," replied Dawn, but stopped for a moment to ponder a thought.

_That necklace looked all too familiar…silver, a Celtic-like designed cross, and a woman gave it to me. Faith gave it to me_,Dawn concluded as she jumped at the feel of a hand on her arm.

"Hey, Dawnie, relax…that vision, or whatever it was, really got to you, didn't it?" asked Faith as she gently pulled Dawn into her embrace and held her for a moment before feeling Dawn pull away.

"That cross," stated Dawn as she brought her eyes up to the dark slayer, "that necklace, tell me you recognized it…"

"Of course I recognized it…I gave it to you," interrupted Faith as she watched the girl cautiously.

"Where did you get that necklace? Was it part of the spell?" asked Dawn as she watched the slayer in front of her intently.

"I don't know what's going on, Dawnie…"

"Who gave you that necklace?" interrupted Dawn once again, beginning to feel the anxiety break through her as she watched the slayer closely.

"No one gave me that necklace. I've always had it. It had nothing to do with the spell. I swear it! I always had that necklace…had it ever since I could remember," replied Faith as she played with her fingers while waiting for Dawn to speak. Dawn couldn't help but smile when realization dawned on her.

"So you mean…you mean that you gave me that necklace because you wanted to?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, come on, I thought it was appropriate, considering the massive make-out sessions we've been having. I thought that you would like something that was mine," replied Faith, smiling warmly at a beaming Dawn.

"Thank," said Dawn as she smiled at Faith's kind regard for her.

"No problem," replied Faith as she took a few steps back from Dawn as she finished. "I got to make a phone call. Buffy should get a whiff of what new and exciting adventures we've had so far. You should get some sleep; it's pretty late for a brat."

"Not a brat," stated Dawn, as per usually.

Faith grinned in amusement before making her way to the phone to call Buffy.


	11. What do you Want

_What do you want?_

"Dawn…" whispered Faith teasingly into Dawn's ear as her hands wrapped themselves around the girl's waist, pulling the girl closer.

"Oh!" yelped Dawn as she jolted at Faith's sudden and unexpected actions. Faith grinned as her breath tickled down Dawn's exposed neck, tickling the girl's nerves, which instantly shot down to a very intimate place.

"Sorry, baby, didn't mean to startle you," said Faith gently against Dawn's neck, letting her lips trail the surface of Dawn's exposed flesh.

"Baby?" whispered Dawn in confusion as she tried to move away.

"Yeah…baby, my sweet sexy Dawnie-is there a problem?" asked Faith as she soon felt Dawn trying to loosen herself from her hold.

"Nothing," replied Dawn bluntly as she successfully ripped herself away from Faith's alluring hold.

Faith stared at the girl in confusion before biting her bottom lip as she struggled to understand Dawn's sudden change in mood.

"Dawn…let me hold you," Faith almost begged, moving to be next to a retreating Dawn.

"What did you tell Buffy?" asked Dawn as she struggled to avoid the confused and hurt look in Faith's eyes when she jerked herself away from her, once again.

"Just the basics," replied Faith as the anger began to surface in her.

"And that means?" asked Dawn as she stood in front of the window, gazing down at the almost empty and abandoned streets.

The question hung in the air for a moment longer, as both Dawn and Faith became preoccupied by something. Dawn was preoccupied with staring out the window, down to the streets below, while Faith found the urge within her to hold Dawn again to be too strong to ignore. Before either of them knew it, Faith wrapped her arms around Dawn and grinned when she felt Dawn's weight against her, before quickly whispering in her ear.

"You're an amazing kisser…for a brat," complimented Faith.

Dawn gasped in shock and quickly untangled herself from Faith's grasp as she responded angrily, "Stop!"

Faith stared at the girl in surprise as she watched Dawn make her way to the other side of the room. She struggled to say something, but could not find the words behind the hurt she now felt at the rejection.

She struggled to control her feelings as she asked honestly, "Why are you pulling away from me?"

Dawn stopped in her tracks, keeping her back to Faith, and took a moment to reply.

"What did you tell Buffy?"

Faith rolled her eyes at the repeated question and inhaled deeply before attempting to answer Dawn's question.

"I just told her that we had a vision that seemed to involve us. I told her that we were just sitting around watching TV when…"

"You told her what we were doing!" interjected Dawn in shock as she quickly turned herself around to find a slightly startled Faith.

"Told her what? That when the vision came to us we were seconds away from fucking?" exclaimed Faith sarcastically as she watched Dawn's uncomfortable expression before continuing.

"Give me a break, Dawnie baby…I'm an ex-con, not an idiot. I actually value my life more than you think."

"Well, that's a relief," replied Dawn, crossing her arms around her stomach and holding herself tightly as the worry struggled to silence itself. Faith watched her longingly.

"Were you that worried that Buffy would find out?" asked Faith after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, a little," replied Dawn soon after, shrugging off her worry. Faith watched the girl closely, looking for a reaction from the girl.

"And what exactly did you think I would tell her-about us?"

Dawn almost stopped breathing as she struggled to come up with something to say, something that Faith needed to hear, the truth.

"I don't know how to say this," explained Dawn. Faith grinned at the girl before lowering her eyes.

"Say it," she encouraged as her eyes rose to the girl.

"You know what I thought," stated Dawn as she quickly turned to leave the room. Before she could make it to her room, Faith's voice stopped her.

"Why won't you let me touch you?"

The question hung in the air for a moment then Faith found herself taking a few steps towards Dawn, but being careful not to get too close. As she made her way towards Dawn, she picked up a half empty bottle of beer, put it to her lips and drank.

\

She kept her eyes on Dawn's silhouette as she gulped the mouthful of beer down her throat, before stating, "I thought after what went on, on that couch, we would be more than just the acquaintances that we are. After that little display of affection, I thought that it was a clear statement that you care about me more than you lead on. Was I wrong, Dawnie? Did you just want a good time with a bad girl like me?"

"I don't know…" replied Dawn's small voice.

Faith watched the girl intently, with a variety of thoughts running through her mind. She was confused by Dawn's actions and even angry that Dawn wasn't getting the message straight. It just seemed like a game to her, a game where she could play or not play at any time-no rules or broken hearts and sleepless nights haunted her. Dawn seemed perfectly fine with destroying Faith emotionally and mentally. Dawn was destroying her. Maybe it was the alcohol in her blood, or the anger, confusion, and hurt that toyed with her emotions. But before Faith could think about what she was doing, she was already halfway across the room, already grabbing hold of Dawn and forcing her against the wall, holding her there forcefully at first. Dawn struggled and yelped in shock, but when her eyes met Faith's, she quickly went silent.

"What are you doing?" Dawn managed to ask before Faith's lips silenced her in a deep and emotionally driven kiss.

With her hands still firmly in Faith's grip, Dawn fought a meaningless battle against the stronger slayer, who kissed her mercilessly. After a moment of futile fighting, Dawn soon melted into the kiss, and accepted the fate of the slayer's fleshy lips. They kissed for what felt like hours. Faith eventually let go of Dawn's arms to focus on bestowing gentle caresses on Dawn's face and lower stomach, while continuing to press Dawn against the wall. Dawn eventually let her hands rest on the slayer's waist. The kisses were now slow and sensual, the focus purely on the moment of tenderness as Faith and Dawn both moaned in pleasure. Faith's hand brushed away a strand of hair as the other moved gently up and down Dawn's flat, young stomach. Dawn's head bent back and Faith placed gentle, loving kisses down the girl's neck, occasionally stopping to place gentle bites along the way. Dawn moaned in pleasure as her hands moved to press Faith's head closer to her neck. As the moment seemed to last forever, so did the feel of Faith's lips making their way up Dawn's neck to place gentle yet seductive licks along her jaw line. Her other hand caressed the girl's stomach and Faith smiled in reaction to Dawn's pleasure. She was about to whisper the words that had been haunting her for so long when the phone suddenly rang.

"Shit!" exclaimed Dawn as she pushed Faith aside to slip into her room, and closed the door just as realization struck Faith. Faith, knowing that she should answer the phone, quickly ran to the kitchen and grumpily answered the phone.

"What!" exclaimed Faith to the caller on the other end.

"Well, good evening to you too!" replied the caller sarcastically. Faith cringed in realization.

"Buffy! Sorry, I was just…I'm in a bad mood today…sorry about snapping at you," apologized Faith as her eyes traced her steps back to Dawn's room. She stared at the door longingly as Buffy talked.

"That's alright, Faith…we're all a little grumpy these days. Anyways, I've got news for you. We don't know everything yet…but it sounds suspicious. We're trying to figure out all we can about that vision of yours."

"Is it connected to the spell?" asked Faith as she tapped her foot in response to her growing nerves.

"Most likely it is. Just keep your cool, and don't let Dawn get any ideas that something's going on," instructed Buffy. Faith took the moment to reflect on the instructions before replying.

"I'll keep her in the dark for now. Sooner or later she's going to find out, and judging by the situation going on here…it won't be long."

"Relax, Faith. Dawn doesn't need to know, at least not until we know that she's safe and out of the First's reach. Just stay with her and make sure that nothing bad happens to her. Giles is already on the move for any information regarding that necklace and its origins, as well as its connection to the vision," continued Buffy. Faith listened intently before cutting in with a question.

"What are you going to do? Any plan B?"

Buffy sighed as she replied to Faith's question.

"I'm going to pay a visit to the First Slayer. See if she knows what the hell is going on. Who knows, she may even be able to give us a helping hand against the First and its goons. I'll give you the heads up once I get anything. In the mean time, have fun with Dawn," finished Buffy, almost to slyly as she hung up the phone leaving a slightly confused yet amused slayer pondering Buffy's last words.


	12. Anger, Twisted Amusement, and Tender Mom

_**Anger, Twisted Amusement, and Tender Moments**_

"Dawn, can I come in?" Faith asked, from her position outside of Dawn's room.

"I don't know…can you?" Dawn replied in a low voice, as Faith smirked at the girl's not so comforting tone of voice.

With a bottle of peroxide in one hand, and a tube of Polysporin and gauze in the other, Faith entered Dawn's room calmly. Upon entering the girl's room, Faith smirked at the sight she saw before her. Dawn, was lying on her bed, face down, the covers molding perfectly with her body.

"Got you something for your feet" Faith explained kindly, as she watched Dawn get up from her position to sit up straight on the bed, facing Faith.

"You didn't have to…I would have done it myself" Dawn replied, her eyes refusing to look Faith directly.

"Hey, I have to take care of my sexy brat. Cause if I don't…guess whose going to get a stake through the heart? If your answer was Faith Lehane...then you are dead on girl!" Faith replied with enthusiasm, as she moved towards the girl, who couldn't help but smile.

"Careful now…you shouldn't be smiling" Faith replied, as she leaned down on one knee in front of Dawn, who then raised her one foot so Faith could apply the new bandages.

"And why's that?" Dawn asked, with an amused look, as she watched Faith take off the old bandage, before working to apply the Polysporin on the wound.

"Because…that would mean that you actually like me," Faith replied with a comical expression.

Dawn's smile instantly disappeared at hearing Faith's words, and when she felt Faith's gentle fingers rubbing the Polysporin on her blistered foot, she grimaced in pain.

"Just because I smiled at something you said…doesn't mean that I like you" Dawn explained knowledgably, as Faith then began to cover Dawn's foot with gauze.

"Can't get nothing past you can I Dawnie?"

"Nope" Dawn replied, as her eyes suddenly found themselves lost in the sight of Faith's bulging cleavage.

"But, I have reasons to believe that you like me" Faith replied, as she finished with Dawn's foot, and soon preoccupied herself with the other.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah"

"What are your reasons?" Dawn asked, not really paying much attention to what Faith was saying, since she found herself to preoccupied by Faith's breasts.

"Well for starters…can you count how many times we've made out so far? Oh, and not to mention that little display of affection on that couch…"

"It was a moment of weakness" Dawn uttered, her eyes studying every detail of Faith's breasts.

"I'm sure it was…" Faith replied, pausing for a moment as she began applying the Polysporin to Dawn's other foot, before attempting to apply new gauze to the wound.

"…Just like I'm sure that you're wondering how my breasts would feel in your hands"

"What?" Dawn exclaimed when Faith's last words echoed into her mind, forcing her out of her daze.

Faith couldn't help but laugh, as she finished applying the gauze to Dawn's foot, but still held it firmly in her hands.

"You heard me sexy…you want me" Faith replied in a raspy tone, as she could sense Dawn struggling to come up with the right thing to say.

"Let go of my foot"

"no"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to run away again…I want you exactly where I have you," Faith replied, as she moved her touch up Dawn's body, stopping at the girl's upper thighs.

"I'll kick you…" Dawn responded forcefully, despite knowing that she wouldn't dare try to hurt her Slayer protector.

"No you wont" Faith stated knowingly, before moving onto the bed, while dragging Dawn's legs with her, causing Dawn to rest on the center of the bed.

Faith grinned wildly, before straddling the girl's legs, so Dawn couldn't escape. Faith grinned as she watched Dawn squirm under her.

"Get off of me!" Dawn replied, as she tried to get the amused Slayer off of her, but without much success, especially when Faith grabbed for Dawn's arms and held them above her head and against the bed.

"No"

"No?"

"Not until we talk," Faith explained, her eyes slowly taking in the girl's beauty.

"What's there to talk about? And besides…if you want to talk, you don't have to sit on me in order to do so!" Dawn responded knowingly, as Faith looked her deeply in the eyes.

"Now Dawnie…I would be thrilled to not have to sit on you to talk with you. But, you have a slight tendency to run away from me when I'm trying to talk to you…" Faith explained as she flashed Dawn an amused smile.

"Well, then hurry up and tell me what you want to tell me so you can get off of me!" Dawn exclaimed in annoyance, as she tried to thrash out of Faith's hold one last time, before realizing that it was pointless to try and escape.

"We'll talk…but I think I like you better this way…"

"Bite me!"

"Mmm don't mind if I do!" Faith replied with an evil grin, as she bent down to Dawn's chest and nipped at the girl's skin.

"Ah!" Dawn exclaimed in surprise, especially since the seemingly painful jester seemed to cause an arousing sensation between her thighs instead of just pain.

"Ok…I bit you-now can we talk?" Faith responded with her typical raspy tone, as Dawn watched her with a look of shock.

"Ok…"

"Good!" Faith responded in her typical tough girl attitude. "Alright, Dawnie…first things first! You may not like the fact that you're trapped in an apartment building with me…but you know what? Deal with it because that's the way it is. You can pretend that you don't like me as much as you want! You can be a tease and a bitch, and ignore me for as long as you want, because guess what? I love it when a girl plays hard to get-and you're not exactly pushing me away by being a two faced bitch, cause frankly…I'll fuck you one of these days and honey…you'll love it! Hell, you'll probably be wondering why in the hell you were fighting it the whole time. Cause you know what? Because that's the way it is…any questions?" Faith finished, her eyes studying Dawn's shocked expression. "Oh! And I forgot to add…that whole binding spell-whether you like it or not it is like a marriage…so deal with it. Cause you know what?-"

"Oh wait! Let me guess…'cause it's the way it is'" Dawn interjected, as she stared long and hard into Faith's eyes defiantly.

"You're catching on sister!" Faith replied, her hands loosening their hold on Dawn arms.

There was a moment of silence, just Dawn and Faith staring deeply into each other's eyes. For a moment it seemed as if the two were gaining an understanding of the other that wasn't there before. And as Dawn looked into Faith's eyes, with a look that meant nothing more than sympathy, Faith crossed her eyebrows and secretly pondered the meaning to Dawn's softening gaze.

"I'm sorry Faith…" Dawn apologized, her eyes looking sympathetically into Faith's.

"What?" Faith blurted out in disbelief, not understanding the sudden change in Dawn's mood.

"Well, you were right…about how I've been acting. I mean, I haven't been that nice or civil with you…and I have to admit that I have been a little two faced lately. I've been toying with your feelings…turning you on, and then turning you off as if you were a light switch, there for my own good. And I know…that I have been rewarding your great kindness with bitchy comments and I…" Dawn paused, as she leaned upward to kiss a still visibly stunned Faith.

Faith, who was staring deeply into Dawn's approaching lips, loosened her hold completely on Dawn's arms, and placed them on either side of Dawn's body on the bed. And as Dawn's lips rose to capture Faith's, Faith soon found herself leaning forward to meet Dawn's lips part way. With their lips just inches apart, and Faith's eyes closed and mind set on Dawn's approaching lips, she didn't even see it coming. Before Faith could react, Dawn had suddenly managed to flip Faith on her back, with Dawn now straddling the Slayer.

"…Wow! I thought it would be next to impossible to pull a fast one on a Slayer. Guess I learned something new today!" Dawn stated, as Faith shot Dawn a shocked and amused look.

"Oh my little brat! Don't make things worse than they all ready are sweet heart! Don't make the babysitter punish you for naughty behavior…" Faith replied in a raspy yet playful tone, as Dawn shot her an annoyed look.

"I'm not a brat or a baby…I can take care of myself"

"Sure you can sugar! But…" Faith paused for a moment as she rose slightly off of the bed to whisper her next words to Dawn's awaiting ears. "…You still got a lot to learn…" Faith replied before breaking her arms out of Dawn's hold.

With her arms free from Dawn's hold, Faith placed them under Dawn's legs, and scooped the girl up in her arms. While holding the shocked teen in her arms, Faith quickly got up and jumped down to the ground.

"Put me down!" Dawn complained, as Faith continued to hold the girl securely in her arms.

"I wouldn't try any funny business doll…you wiggle out of my hold I might just drop you…" Faith replied.

Faith's smile widened when she felt Dawn's legs and arms wrap more securely around her.

"Don't drop me!" Dawn replied, as she turned her head to the side, so her lips wouldn't be that close to Faith's.

"Come on Dawnie…have some faith in my Slayer abilities" Faith replied, as she watched Dawn's humorous face in wonder.

"Ok, you've had you're fun. Now put me down!" Dawn replied, showing signs that she was still nervous that Faith would actually drop her.

Faith, at hearing Dawn's request, sighed heavily as she pretended to consider Dawn's wishes.

"I'm prepared to make a deal with you…" Faith responded with a small smile, smiling a little wider when Dawn turned her head to stare back at her.

"What's the deal?" Dawn asked; her eyes squinting as she searched Faith's eyes suspiciously.

Faith parted her lips; her next words came so softly, like a whisper, that it took Dawn a moment or two to realize what Faith said.

"Have dinner with me…" Dawn's eyes widened with curiosity, as she saw something in Faith's eyes that was drastically different than any look that she'd seen in those eyes before. There wasn't a look of pure lust, passion, or anything like that. Instead, Dawn saw a gentler side in Faith's eyes, a more caring, a more loving side?

"Ok" Dawn said, her voice seemingly gone and replaced with the same whisper like one that Faith had adopted not a moment before.

Faith smiled, and when Dawn saw that smile not even her arrogant personality, or momentary anger with Faith could prevent her from softening her face. And before she could stop herself, Dawn smiled back, in a silent response to Faith's gentle smile.

"Ok" Faith responded with look of happiness as well as relief, and soon released the girl from her arms, slowly and gently against the bed. And as Dawn's back rested against the bed, after Faith slowly and gently placed her there, the two women shared a moment that neither could ignore.

"I'll go get dinner started. How does pasta sound?"

"Sounds wonderful"

"Tomato sauce ok with you?"

"I hate any other kind"

"me to…" Faith agreed.

She gave Dawn one last smile, before forcing herself up right from her leaning position over Dawn on the bed, and left Dawn to reflect on the curious moment shared between her and Faith.

_How could we come from anger, twisted amusement, to soft tender moment? I can't believe that she would ask me to dinner? Wait a minute…Faith can cook?_ Dawn thought to herself, before realizing how much she missed Faith's weight against her and the smell of Faith's hair. _I wonder if that marriage spell thing makes you fall in love with the person? I wonder if Faith was serious about the spell being like a marriage…I think I'm going to give Buffy a call-and see for myself what that spell was all about! _Dawn thought to herself. _It couldn't be a marriage spell…yeah; it was probably a bonding spell… _


	13. Nightmare

**_Nightmare_**

"Stop!" Dawn commanded through a giggle, when Faith flung soap studs at the girl, a wicked grin spread across her full lips.

"Make me bubble but!" Faith egged on, her tongue hanging out in a mocking jester, as Dawn flashed Faith a disapproving glare.

"Bubble but?"

"Yeah…you have a great round ass!" Faith replied, seductively as she placed her soap stud infested hands on Dawn's ass.

"And now…its covered in soap studs!"

"Faith! You're molesting me!" Dawn replied with a laugh, as the thrill of being touched the way Faith just touched her, began to spark something inside of the girl.

"Hey! I was just playing…it was an innocent jester to show how much I approve"

"approve of what?" Dawn asked with a look, as she watched Faith place a now cleaned bowl on the counter, waiting for Dawn to dry it.

"What do you think sexy?" Faith responded with a sultry smirk, her eyes lighting Dawn on fire with excitement-which was really desire.

Dawn just shook her head, a smile permanent on her face, as she tried to control the strange flutter in her lower stomach.

"Faith…do you have another dishtowel? This one is all wet…" Dawn asked, as she flung the wet dishtowel in Faith's direction.

"Yeah, it's in that drawer…its right under you, you just have to bend down and get it…" Faith directed as best as she could, as she held the now wet dishtowel close to her chest, where Dawn managed to toss in the direction of.

"Oh, ok…" Dawn responded thankfully, before bending down to open the drawer, and search through the near empty drawer for a new dishtowel.

_Wow!_ Faith thought to herself as her eyes couldn't help but suction themselves to Dawn's appealing ass. _Yikes that girl is more loaded than I thought…_Faith continued, her mouth parting slightly, as her hands twisted the dishtowel with all her strength until is finally ripped in two. "Shit!" Faith exclaimed, as she held the two ripped pieces of the dishtowel in her hands, looking up to see a grinning Dawn. "What? It was my favorite color!" Faith explained, as Dawn shook her head and continued digging through the drawer.

"It's also one of the only dishtowels you actually have…" Dawn commented as Faith nodded her head in agreement.

"True…even more reason to be upset" Faith added reflectively, before her eyes suctioned themselves back to Dawn's ass, which now, thanks to Dawn's rising shirt, now exposed part of Dawn's lower back_. Oh God! I'm going to need something else to break!_ Faith thought, as her mind continued in the direction of X-rated thoughts. _Mmm I gotta hit that! Nice and hard…_ Faith commented before giving her head a shake. _No! No more of that! Dawn and I had a great evening together and I don't want to ruin that by check'n her out when I know she ain't interested…I need to earn the girl's respect and stop humping her leg!_ Faith berated herself, before being interrupted by Dawn's soft voice.

"Faith? Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Uh, why don't you get ready for bed and I'll finish up here…" Faith offered kindly, offering the girl a warm and innocent smile.

"But we still have to do the cutlery…" Dawn responded curiously, as she moved towards the freshly washed bowl and began to dry it.

"Don't be silly…get ready for bed-I'll finish this bitch up. And besides…I don't mind doing the dishes" Faith replied honestly, well the first part at least.

"Uh, ok Faith. Suite yourself!" Dawn replied, before putting down the wet bowl and dishtowel and making her way to her bedroom. Faith picked up the bowl and dishtowel, and began drying the bowl; her thoughts were elsewhere when Dawn's sweet voice rang through her ears. "Uh, Faith?" Dawn called out to the Slayer, her bedroom door now open, but still standing outside in the hallway.

"Yeah brat?"

"Thanks for the dinner…it was great. I really enjoyed myself…" Dawn replied with a smile, as Faith stopped what she was doing to place her gaze on Dawn's glowing form.

"You're welcome Dawn" Faith replied, smiling as she watched the look of shock on Dawn's face when Faith actually pronounced her full name.

"Oh, and Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for being a two faced bitch…" Dawn apologized as Faith watched her intently.

"Dawn…"

"Yeah Faith?"

"I'm sorry if I alarmed you…by uh…by how I said a few things…you know…earlier on about fucking you and you loving it-I was waaaaay out of line!" Faith apologized, her eyes showing how honestly sorry she was if she did alarm Dawn by her brute actions.

"Then, I guess we're both sorry!" Dawn responded with a nervous laugh, as Faith nodded her head and chuckled in agreement.

"Good night Dawn…"

"Good night Faith" The two young women responded nicely, another moment of peace in the apartment showing itself once again at that moment.

When Dawn finally got into bed, she closed her eyes, and struggled to keep her thoughts clear of Faith's addictive smile and lively attitude. And when she finally fell asleep, a smile appeared on her features as she mumbled to herself.

"Faith called me by my name…"

**_The haunting rhythm of a heartbeat pounded in her ears, as Dawn watched Faith battle skillfully. Dawn watched, as one by one the demons and vampire's fell to Faith's might. And as Dawn picked up a sword and tried to help Faith fend off the creatures of evil, a second heartbeat joined the rush. And as Dawn lost control of the battle between her and an attacking demon, Dawn watched as Faith quickly made her way to Dawn's aid, and slew the monster. The haunting rhythm of the heartbeats pace quickened, as Dawn stared deeply into Faith's dreamy eyes, Dawn screamed out in frightful warning as a demon came from behind Faith. But, before Faith could register anything, a flash of light took the dream to another episode. _**

_**With the sounds of the two heartbeats beating, furiously this time, Dawn found herself naked and in the heat of passion with a dark haired women. Dawn blinked her dreamy eyes a few times to focus in on the women she was sleeping with, and felt an overwhelming sense of joy to see that the women she was making love with, was Faith. And as Faith and Dawn kissed, licked, and gently bit the other, in the midst of their great passion, the two heartbeats came louder and louder, faster and faster, stronger and stronger. Faith and Dawn rolled like thunder under the bed sheets, smiling and groaning and moaning as the passion and desire flooded their senses. And when Faith, who remained on top, pumped her two fingers one more time inside Dawn's sex, she sunk her teeth into Dawn's neck just as Dawn screamed in response to the earth shattering orgasm. Another white flash of light revealed the two lovers holding each other tenderly in each other's arms, smiling and gently caressing their hot and sweaty flesh. Dawn smiled happily, as Faith looked her hard in the eyes and whispered; **_

"_**I love you…" as the sounds of the two heartbeats, continued their powerful and steady rhythm. **_

_**Dawn smiled, before pulling her hand away from the covers to find it covered in blood. She looked down to see her lover's eyes glossy, and her flesh pale, before Dawn's eyes fell to the wound on Faith's stomach. With a shrilled scream, the second heartbeat slowly began to weaken. Just as another flash of light saw Faith standing tall and mighty, before jerking at the feel of a sword bursting through her stomach. And then, the second heart beat grew silent, as Faith's body fell to the ground, to reveal the murderer…the demon of many shapes, of many sizes, of many body's, of many evils. And as the evil grinned an inhuman grin, it showed its true form and lunged for Dawn…to finish the job. It's voice ringing in her ears, a threat that brought fear into the deepest parts of Dawn's heart. "I found you! My key!" The haunting voice rasped in the dream, and echoed in Dawn's mind as she forced herself awake.**_

"ARRRRGH!" Dawn screamed, as hot tears rolled down her face.

"Dawn are you ok?" Faith asked, as she stood by the side of the bed, a plain expression on her darkened features.

"I heard you moaning and groaning and I came in to check on you…and then, well, you screamed. Are you ok?"

"I don't know…I was so scared! I don't know…it seemed so real!" Dawn continued, as Faith's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room.

"It's ok! I'm here…don't worry!" Faith replied, trying desperately to ease the girl's hysterical actions, although remaining at a distance from the girl.

"I was so afraid…"

"What happened?" Faith asked, as she stayed by the foot of the bed, watching Dawn intently.

"Something awful is going to happen!" Dawn responded with a look of horror, as Faith continued to watch.

"What happened?"

"We were fighting some demons and shit. And then we were…we were making love"

"Go on…" Faith replied, a strange expression spread across her darkened features, as Dawn paused for a moment.

_That's strange…wouldn't Faith be even the slightest bit interested or even turned on that I dreamed of having sex with her? _Dawn thought for a moment, before being interrupted by Faith's inpatient beckoning expression.

"After we made love…or, during…I don't know but…" Dawn paused for a moment before continuing.

"Faith…I watched you die" Dawn muttered in a low and haunted voice.

"Oh really?" Faith muttered, her voice seeming to change drastically from raspy, to something else…something rougher and grittier. "Did you see the bitch who killed me?" Faith asked, before Dawn nodded her head, confusion evident on her features.

Faith shot Dawn a strange smile, one that added to Dawn's mounting confusion.

"It wasn't a bitch…it was a thing-a demon…but not just any demon" Dawn explained.

"Let me guess. Was it…me?" The creature replied as Faith's body morphed into the same horrific monster that Dawn saw in her dream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Dawn screamed as she jumped out of her bed, just as the real Faith busted through the door, stake in hand and ready for action.

"Stay away from her!" Faith roared, just as The First shot Faith a terrifying look before disappearing as if it was never there.

"Faith!" Dawn screamed, as Faith jumped over the bed and ran for Dawn. A look of worry spread across her face, as bloody scrapes appeared on her hand.

"Are you ok?" Faith asked, as Dawn collapsed into Faith's arms, trembling in fear.

"…It found me" Dawn muttered, as Faith held the girl closer to her.

"It's ok Dawn. The First can't physically hurt you…and The Bringers can't enter this apartment because of that spell that was caste to keep them out. So, we'll be safe…for tonight at least" Faith replied in a soothing voice.

"What do we do now?"

"We can't go to Buffy-its still dark out and its way to dangerous to be out at this hour. So, we stay for the night and then we'll go back to Buffy and tell her everything…" Faith explained, as Dawn stayed glued to Faith in a death grip like hold.

"I don't want to go back to sleep! Not alone, The First will get me in my dreams…" Dawn replied through a sob, as Faith rocked the girl back and forth soothingly.

"Then come on! You'll sleep in my bed tonight…while I'll take the floor" Faith established, as she guided Dawn out the door, down the hall, and into Faith's room.

"How did you get those scraps?" Dawn asked, as she practically refused to let go of Faith.

"Ahh nothing good actually. When I busted through your bedroom door I guess I did a little number on it and got a little scrapped up in the process…" Faith explained as she let Dawn go so she could close and lock her bedroom door.

"Yeah I saw the door as we left…looks like you'll need to buy another one" Dawn commented, as she held herself out of fear and cold. Faith, who noticed how cold Dawn was, offered the girl another shirt to wear over her PJ's, which Dawn took appreciatively.

"So where will you sleep again?" Dawn asked, as she suddenly wanted nothing more than to have Faith sleep in the bed with her for the night.

"Well, I'll take the floor, or that chair over there, and keep watch if it'll make you feel more comfortable…" Faith replied as she moved towards the direction of the chair, before being stopped by Dawn's young and weak hand.

"Can you sleep with me tonight?"

"Can I what?"

"Will you sleep in the same bed as me? It's just…I don't want to be alone-and I'll feel safer knowing that your that close" Dawn explained, as Faith looked at the girl closely.

"Uh, ok. Ok, I guess that'll be all right." Faith replied, clearing her throat a few times, before making her way towards the bed. After Dawn and Faith got into the small bed together, Faith fought the temptation to try and making something more out of the situation. _No Faith! Dawn needs your comfort…behave!_ Faith thought to herself, before Dawn's soft voice brought back her attention.

"Thank you Faith" Dawn thanked appreciatively, before closing her eyes and attempting to get back to sleep.

As Dawn struggled to get back to sleep, and as Faith struggled to control herself, Faith flinched when she felt Dawn snuggling against her.

_Oh shit! Making this harder for me aren't you Dawnie?_

"Faith?"

"Yes Dawnie?"

"Can you hold me?" Dawn requested, biting her bottom lip as she awaited Faith's reply.

_Ok. So. You're in bed, with a girl you've made out with like a million times-but wont admit to liking you…and she wants you to hold her?!?_

"I understand if you don't want to, its just…there's not a lot of room on this bed and I thought that if we snuggled…that one of us isn't going to fall off the bed, or something…and because I really want to know you are here…I'll feel safer knowing you are still next to me if I can feel you…" Dawn explained as if nothing was awkward about her request. _Oh, and Faith…would you mind holding me like you were in my dream…_ Dawn thought to herself, shaking her head immediately once the thought surfaced.

"Uh, sure Dawn…I'll try to be a gentlewomen" Faith replied, as she moved so that she could hold Dawn close without falling off of the small bed. With Dawn's back to Faith, Faith let her arms snake around Dawn, pulling the girl towards her. _Ok, control yourself…oh shit, I forgot that Dawn's wearing kinda skimpy PJ's. Mmm…stop it Faith! Just hold her, try and fall asleep, and protect Dawn from harm. Just try to think about slaying…that should keep your mind off of this current situation._ Faith thought to herself, as she slowly fell back to sleep, as Dawn did the same.


	14. Home Coming

_**Home Coming **_

Dawn slowly opened her eyes to find herself still in Faith's bed. And as her hand moved behind her, to feel for the sleeping Faith, her eyes opened in surprise to find that the slayer was no longer lying next to her.

_Where's Faith?_ Dawn thought to herself as she slowly sat up, to check her surroundings. "Faith?" Dawn called out, before her attention was brought to the kitchen, where Dawn could hear rattling and shuffling. As Dawn got up, she opened the door and walked into the hallway. After making her way into the kitchen, she smiled faintly as she watched Faith cook what appeared to be breakfast.

"Hey brat! Just making breakfast…" Faith began, as she cracked four eggs into the saucepan.

"Awesome…" Dawn replied, as she groggily watched Faith move around the kitchen with grace. "I'm a…I'm going to go take a shower" Dawn began, as she pointed in the direction of the bathroom, as Faith stopped for a moment to follow the girl's pointed finger.

"Sure! Just uh…just don't take forever ok? I'm making you breakfast" Faith replied with a busy look, her hair covering part of her face like it always did.

"Ok…" Dawn responded, before going into her room to grab for some fresh clothes.

Knowing that she was safe, since Faith was standing just outside, Dawn entered her room with minimal anxiety. As she grabbed for her clean clothes, Dawn returned to the hallway and strolled into the bathroom. After taking a quick and well-needed shower, Dawn quickly dried herself off and reentered the kitchen moments later.

"About time! I was just about to eat your bacon!" Faith commented with a sly grin, as Dawn slowly took her seat at the small kitchen table.

"Looks great Faith! Really it does…" Dawn began, her mind still groggy from sleep. Dawn ate her breakfast slowly; her eyes watching Faith's masculine physic attack the dishes with soapy water and a sponge.

"Why don't you come sit down and eat…and then afterwards I'll help you with the dishes" Dawn inquired; feeling slight guilt for eating breakfast while Faith combated the dishes.

"That's all right brat…I've been munching away at my breakfast as I clean"

"Why?"

"Well, we're kinda running late, now that I think about it. I was just about to go wake you, when you beat me to it" Faith replied, turning her head to glance at Dawn for a moment before continuing on with the dishes. "Oh! Guess what?"

"What?"

"I managed to fix the dishwasher this morning! So, we can just put our dirty dishes in the washing machine instead of washing them in the sink!" Faith replied cheerfully.

"How long have you been awake for?" Dawn asked out of curiosity, as she took a bite out of her crispy bacon, and watched the slayer intently.

"Uh…since 6, I think" Faith replied, as she pulled the plug out of the sink and moved to dry her wet hands with the dry dishtowel.

"Why so early?"

"Couldn't sleep last night…I was a little paranoid about The First and everything. Not to mention that I was a little anxious since its been like, what? Two and half weeks since I got the chance to go out slaying?"

"Pent up energy?"

"Yeah! Definitely some of that…" Faith replied, hiding part of the truth from Dawn.

It was true, Faith was feeling a little anxious about slaying, but she was also feeling the tension of having to sleep in the same bed as the girl of her affections. After throwing the dishtowel down onto the counter, Faith made her way towards the kitchen table and sat in front of Dawn. Her half eaten plate positioned in front of her.

"Not hungry?" Dawn asked, watching Faith shake her head in response.

"No, not really"

"I thought Slayers eat…a lot"

"we do. But…this slayer hasn't been out burning calories and energy and shit. So, not very hungry…" Faith replied, as she watched Dawn closely, her eyes showing that the slayer was deep in contemplative thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Dawn asked, as she finished up what was left of her eggs, and then washed them down with a sip of orange juice.

"Nothing really…just that I'm going to have the honor of seeing your sister again" Faith confessed with a flustered expression, making Dawn chuckle in amusement.

"She's not that bad…I guess" Dawn responded truthfully, as Faith nodded her in agreement.

"I know. She loves you…loves you a lot!" Faith began, her eyes searching Dawn's, as if attempting to read what was on the young key's mind.

"I know…she just gets so damn over protective some times!" Dawn answered with a hint of bitterness, as Faith chuckled in response; looking away to study what her fidgeting fingers were doing.

"No matter what goes down Dawnie…between you and your sister. Just know that she cares about you…and that everything she does…she does it for you" Faith responded with a gentle voice, her eyes looking deeply into Dawn's as if to add more truth to the comment.

"Is there some hidden meaning behind those words?" Dawn asked playfully, smiling as Faith smiled along with her.

"Take it for what it is Dawnie…just me telling you that no matter what crazy thing that your sister does-that'll piss you off and such. Just know that she had your best interests at heart" Faith responded wisely, making Dawn even more confused by the words spoken so softly by Faith.

"So, that spell was for my best interest?" Dawn asked, before gulping the rest of her juice, as Faith watched on with a look of longing.

"Yeah…" Faith began, pausing as she tried to think up something better to say, but found nothing that would be helpful to say. _I should tell her…_ Faith thought to herself, as she stared off into the distance with an empty look in her eyes_. I should just tell her everything. To hell what Buffy said about keeping her in the dark! The kid has the right to know_. "We should get going…" Faith began, as she picked herself up off of the chair and moved towards her bedroom, leaving Dawn alone to stare after her.

"Should I take my things with me?" Dawn asked, as she watched Faith move around in her room, through the half opened door.

"Just take the things you'll need for an overnight stay…I don't know if we're coming back here straight after we visit your sister." Faith replied dully, her mood darkening as she secretly dreaded seeing Buffy again. _Shit she's going to be pissed at me!_ Faith thought to herself as she grabbed her small bag of belongings and walked back into the hallway.

"I'll just bring my tooth brush and stuff like that…I have more clothes at home" Dawn commented as she moved to grab for those items, while Faith watched on.

_Buffy is going to be so pissed at me! It's been two weeks and Dawn and I still haven't sealed the deal! _Faith thought to herself, as she soon found herself walking out the door, down the hall, and out another door to face the warm afternoon air. Faith and Dawn walked alone in the abandoned street corners, in silence, as they studied the area around them.

"What will Buffy say when she finds out that we haven't slept together" Dawn asked randomly, causing the older slayer to jerk into attention.

"What?" Faith asked in the midst of her confusion, as Dawn eyed her knowingly. "I thought a lot about our situation for the past two weeks. It's obvious that everyone knew about the spell...that it was a bonding spell…and that we would have to make love in order to consummate the partnership. So, I'm guessing that when Buffy finds out that nothing happened…she's going to be pissed at you" Dawn finished plainly; stealing a glance at a visibly flustered Faith, who met her gaze with her own unwavering one.

"Yep…I guess you're right kid. Big sis is going to be pretty mad at me. Well…she would be mad at me either way actually. If I slept with you she'd kill me! If I didn't sleep with you she'll kill me-I don't have a very flattering odds of surviving today…" Faith answered, her eyes searching the area around her for any signs of danger. "And look! We're almost at Buffy's! Where I can be killed for doing something that if I actually did do I would be killed anyways…" Faith added in a mock serious tone, as Dawn shrugged her shoulders. There was a moment of silence as the two women turned the corner to find the Summer's residence only a few feet away.

"Uh, Faith?"

"Yeah Dawn?" Faith replied, before stopping at the feel of Dawn's hand on her arm.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed with you" Dawn thanked genuinely, earning her a sheepish look from Faith.

"You're welcome Dawnie…" Faith answered with a smile, as she waited for Dawn to utter the next thing she wanted to say to Faith.

"And…I…I really appreciate the fact that you had the opportunity to take advantage of me-last night…but you didn't…" Dawn paused, as she looked deep into Faith's alluring gaze.

"I wouldn't dare take advantage of you when you really needed comfort…" Faith explained, as the two shared a moment that was only interrupted by the presence of Buffy, who was standing by the sidewalk staring at them. "Shit it's Buffy…" Faith added after stealing a glance at the slightly worried and suspicious Slayer, before returning her gaze to Dawn's eyes.

"She looks mad…" Dawn commented, as Faith nodded her head in agreement.

"She probably already knows that we didn't do anything…so I guess that's Buffy's way of saying, 'you're a dead girl walking!' if you know what I mean…" Faith responded with a light chuckle as Dawn watched her closely.

"Why would Buffy care if we slept together? Why is it so important that we do?" Dawn asked with a strange look, as Faith struggled to decide whether it was worth it to tell Dawn the truth or to continue to lie to the girl.

"I'm not supposed to tell you anything unless its Buffy approved. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is" Faith responded with a worried look as she could practically feel Buffy's questioning gaze burning a hole right through her.

"What can you tell me?"

"That if Buffy finds out I didn't do what I was supposed to do…and that you pretty much don't like me…then I'm in very big trouble" Faith finished with a sigh as she turned to make eye contact with a frustrated Buffy, who gave her a look that didn't make Faith feel any more comfortable.

"Faith…"

"Shit she's making her way over here!" Faith stated in slight panic, obviously unaware that Dawn was trying to get her attention. Faith tried to remain calm, as she watched Buffy make her way towards her and Dawn.

"Faith…" Dawn called out again.

"Wha-" before Faith could finish, she felt Dawn's moist young lips mold into hers in a gentle kiss.

The kiss quickly turned passionate, as the desire unleashed the need to turn their innocent gentle kiss into a battle of dominance over the other. With lips crashing, and tongue tasting, Faith and Dawn were to lost in the moment to remember that Buffy was watching them. With Dawn's hand entangled in Faith's hair, and Faith's hand caressing Dawn's cheek, Buffy watched on with a plain yet somewhat disgusted look.

"Ewww…now that I have that to give me nightmares…don't you guys think that you two had all time in the world to do that, before you came here?" Buffy asked, with a raised eyebrow and a steady gaze on the two lovers passionate and wild kiss.

"Sorry B…I was just…busy" Faith responded to Buffy's question with an out a breath answer, as she pulled away from Dawn's lips.

"Why were you watching anyways?" Dawn asked, as she brought her gaze to Buffy, before returning to Faith's. _Wow that was hot!_ Dawn thought to herself, as she tried to wipe off Faith's dark lipstick from her lips.

"Believe me I didn't want to…I got Faith's message today, and I was just itching to have a little one on one conversation with her." Buffy finished, her gaze resting dangerously on Faith's still aroused features. "Nice to see that you two are getting along" Buffy added, her gaze still cemented on Faith's.

"Yeah…I mean, it was tough at first…but we pulled through" Dawn answered with a smile and a shrug, as she watched Faith and Buffy eye each other closely.

"Dawn, can you give Faith and I a moment alone?"

"No-"

"now Dawn!" Buffy commanded; her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'll catch you later Dawn…" Faith said, offering the girl a warm smile.

"Ok…" Dawn replied, feeling slight worry that something extravagant was going to happen the moment she turned around. And as Faith watched Dawn make her way back to the Summer's residence, Buffy kept her eyes glued on Faith.

"What happened last night?" Buffy asked, as Faith tried her best to stand her ground.

"The First appeared to Dawn…" Faith responded meekly, her face plain and emotionless.

"How did that happen Faith? That spell was supposed to make sure that The First couldn't haunt my baby sister! As well as make sure that The Bringers could enter the apartment and hurt her…remember?" Buffy reminded, her voice low and venomous.

"I don't know-" Faith began before feeling Buffy's hand smack her across the face, hard.

"What the fuck was that for!" Faith exclaimed, now holding the side of her mouth with her hand.

"You put my baby sister in danger! All you had to do was sleep with her-seal the deal! Make you and Dawn one…if you did that, then The First would never have appeared to Dawn. If you did that, then you wouldn't be here!" Buffy explained, her face solid and stern, as Faith struggled to control the urge to punch Buffy.

"I didn't want to-"

"why?"

"Because it should be her choice!" Faith exclaimed loudly, as Buffy watched her curiously. "She should know what's going on…she should want to sleep with me-I want it to be her choice!" Faith explained further, as Buffy watched her in deep puzzlement.

"You actually care whether or not you hurt her?"

"Yes!" Faith responded truthfully, making Buffy even more confused.

"So let me get this straight. You didn't seal the deal with her because you didn't want to take advantage of her?"

"Yes. I thought I could…but I can't. I can't do that to Dawn. I want her to want to be with me-"

"She's not 'being' with you. It's just a temporary deal until we can defeat The First and Dawn will be safe. After that, you're getting the hell out of town" Buffy reminded snottily, as Faith clenched her jaw.

"I know…"

"You better not forget it! The only reason why I called you down here was so that you could do that spell with Dawn…and then, when it's all over and Dawn is no longer in danger…you were to leave and never come back! That was the deal!"

"Yes, I know"

"and you agreed to it, right?"

"Yes I did…" Faith replied, her jaw clenching painfully, her fists tightening.

"Let's get back inside…we'll talk more about this later with Giles and Willow…" Buffy began, as she turned to make her way back to the house, with Faith in close pursuit.

"The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life…" Buffy grumbled, as Faith listened quietly. "The next thing you'll be telling me is that you actually have 'feelings' for my baby sister!" Buffy shot back, as Faith offered Buffy a darkened look.


	15. The Crossexamination

_**The Cross-examination**_

"Explain it to me…all of it…from beginning to end!" Buffy demanded, her arms crossed and gaze focused on Faith, who sat lazily in one of Buffy's wooden chairs.

"I don't know how else I can tell you, Buffy. All I know is, I woke up to the sound of Dawn screaming…and then I rushed in to find the First standing over her…and when it saw me, I threatened it, and then it vanished!" Faith explained in slight annoyance, as she watched as Giles nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Interesting…very interesting…" Giles muttered as he removed his glasses and began cleaning them, which he typically did when he was deep in thought.

"Yes…very interesting indeed!" Buffy began as she watched Faith's annoyed look angrily. "You know what's even more 'interesting'?" Buffy asked, turning her gaze on Giles, who looked up briefly to meet Buffy's gaze before responding curtly.

"What?"

"That the First managed to enter Faith's apartment…but the Bringers couldn't!" Buffy answered, her obvious stress level rising by the second, as her worry for her sister's safety hung on her conscience.

"Well, that's not too surprising, is it?" Xander said thoughtfully. "I mean, come on now…how many times has the First paid us a visit, and the Bringers didn't show up to rip our merry little throats out?"

"What are you trying to say?" Buffy asked curiously, her mind focused on Dawn and getting the permission to beat the shit out of Faith for not doing her job.

"I mean, come on, Buff, I don't think it means too much if the First entered Faith's apartment and the Bringers weren't there to do what they do best. I just don't see what's so spaz worthy about the First being able to enter the apartment, but not the Bringers. Hell! We can't assume that the First even ordered the Bringers to show up!"

"Your point being..?" Buffy asked, clearly not wanting to waste too much time.

"My point is…what if the First didn't show up to kill Dawn…what if the big bad bitch was just coming to give Dawn a message…a warning maybe?" Xander finished, watching as the expressions throughout the room darkened in response to his point.

"Point taken, Xander," Giles said as he measured the possibility as being probable.

"Yeah, but…" Willow began, unsurely, her expression showing a look of confusion that instantly got Buffy and the gang's attention. "…No evil is supposed to penetrate the walls of Faith's apartment! Not even the First can break that spell once it's cast. So there's no way that the First should have entered the apartment in the first place! At least…that's what the spell's description said…" Willow continued frowning slightly as the others watched on.

"Are you sure about that?" Giles asked innocently, the lines in his face making him seem older than he actually was, as his worry deepened.

"Positive! I mean…that spell book wasn't exactly easy to get--not to mention that the ingredients, once combined, were for one of the most complex and powerful spells that one could do! Very few witches can actually and successfully perform this spell correctly. For someone like me, who has had quite a bit of experience with black and white magic, even for me this was hard to handle. This was no simple spell…but I know how powerful and unbreakable it is…and I know what it's supposed to do, and I know that I did it right!" Willow explained defensively, feeling as though the Scooby gang was in some way challenging her ability as a witch. And as Willow took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, Buffy took the moment to try to reassure her friend.

"No one said that you didn't do it right-"

"So…it had to have worked!" Willow interjected defensively, but instantly regretted the harsh tone in her voice when she realized how childish she must have sounded. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I didn't mean to interrupt you like that…" Willow apologized quickly, earning her a reassuring smile from Buffy.

"That's alright, Will, I'd get defensive too if I thought someone doubted my craft-or in my case, my slaying…" Buffy reassured her friend before returning her attention to Faith, who opened her mouth to utter something that brought the flush back into Buffy's face.

"But the spell didn't work…"

"Jeez! I wonder why?" Buffy spat, making everyone in the room except for Faith cringe at the obvious approach of Slayer danger.

Faith bit her tongue as the urge to spit back her defense threatened to put her into more trouble than she was already in. And as Faith sat and calmly waited for her cross-examination, she offered Buffy one of her classic sarcastic smiles, which earned her a venomous look from Buffy.

"What are you talking about, Buffy?" Giles asked, eyeing both Faith and Buffy questioningly.

"Faith forgot-"

"I didn't forget-"

"…one very important detail about the spell," Buffy continued, ignoring Faith's interruption as she watched the dark-haired Slayer dangerously.

"What do you mean by that?" Anya asked out of nowhere.

"Anya! Where's Dawn?" Xander asked when he turned to find Anya standing by the doorway, without Dawn.

"I don't know…she's hanging with the potentials or something…"

"Anya, honey, would you mind keeping an eye on Dawn so she doesn't walk in on us talking about her?" Xander partly begged, as Faith rolled her eyes.

"But, Xander, I want to hang out with you! I don't want to baby sit a teenager. Why can't I sit and be apart of this meeting?" Anya asked in a winy voice.

"Because…Dawn trusts you, and she won't expect that we're talking about her if a member of the Scooby gang is with her. If that makes sense…but anyways, the point being is that we've talked about this and I need you to follow through on what you previously agreed to do," Xander replied, begging slightly.

Anya sighed deeply. "Well, alright! But you better tell me what I missed--"

"I will definitely fill you in later. Now, will you please look after Dawn?"

"Well, alright, sweetie…" Anya responded, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave the room.

With Anya now out of the room, Xander quickly returned his attention to the rest of the Scooby gang. "Alright, people...let's get back to business. Faith, were you about to explain something to us?" Xander asked as he leaned forward and prepared himself for what Faith had to say next.

"Yes, Faith, do go on…uh, do you have any idea why the spell didn't work?" Giles encouraged, his eyes now fully placed on Faith's fidgety form.

"I don't know how to break this to you guys…since, well, we did agree and discuss this very issue before the spell was cast-and hell, before I returned to Sunnydale…but anyways…uh, well-"

"Get on with it!" Buffy interrupted impatiently, earning her a venomous glare from Faith.

"As you wish, queen Buffy…" Faith commented, before taking a deep breath. "Dawn and I didn't seal the deal-"

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed all at once, making Faith smirk in amusement. But remembering how much trouble she was in, she quickly got rid of it. There was a moment of silence, everyone was looking at Faith as if she had suddenly sprouted chicken wings and was in the process of doing the chicken dance. But, after a few moments, when the new information had settled in, Giles was the first to speak.

"Now, uh, Faith, when we called you and told you about this…deal, you agreed to our terms. And as I remember it, you said--"

"…'it's as good as done'. I know what I said, gramps, you don't have to remind me," Faith chuckled uncomfortably, as she fiddled with her hands that were resting on her lap.

"Then what happened, Faith? Our little 'scratch our back and we'll scratch yours' deal wasn't enough?" Buffy began, taking a few steps towards a seemingly ashamed Faith.

"That's not it, B. I appreciate all that you and your friends did and promise to do for me. I know that I made a deal with you guys and I plan to honor it--"

"Well you're doing a bang up job so far, Faith! You might as well hand deliver Dawn to the First—'cause that's pretty much what you did!" Buffy hissed as she watched Faith flash her a dirty look.

"Let's all calm down. I'm interested in knowing a few things about you, Faith--your reasons, for example," Giles interrupted, as he played with the rims of his glasses for a moment, before placing them back on his face.

"What do you mean by that?" Faith asked, the adrenalin almost messing with her common sense, as she wanted more than anything to beat that stupid grin off Buffy's face.

"Well, what exactly stopped you from honoring our deal?" Giles asked more clearly.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Faith trailed off, her eyes to the ground as the others watched her curiously.

"Try us. Tell us what happened, why didn't you do as you were supposed to do?" Giles asked leaning forward as his interest grew by the second.

"I couldn't do it—"

"What do you mean you could do it? You didn't have any trouble pulling me into a room and giving me a quick Sex Ed lesson!" Xander interrupted, reminding Faith of what she did with Xander all those years ago in that dirty motel room.

"It's different with Dawn…"

"How so..?" Giles asked, prodding deeper and deeper into Faith's peculiar actions.

Faith laughed uncomfortably, as she tried to ignore the fact that she could sense Buffy's desire to beat her to the point of no recognition. And as she took a moment to collect herself, everyone in the room, including Buffy, watched her closely.

"I don't know how to explain this. I just, I don't want to force Dawn into doing something that she doesn't want to do-"

"Oh, cut the crap-"

"Buffy!" Giles exclaimed, earning her a look from Giles, who explained himself quickly.

"Let her finish."

"Fine…" Buffy half-heartedly agreed, as Faith quietly wished for some sort of distraction that would save her from this torture.

"Continue…" Giles encouraged Faith, who nodded her head once before attempting to continue with her explanation.

"Like I said…I don't want to force Dawn to do something that she wouldn't do if she knew the truth. I don't want her to go into this thing as blind and unknowing as she is. She's going to find out eventually, and once she does, she isn't going to be so cooperative. Think of it this way…if I had slept with her, and sealed the deal and shit, and she found out, she isn't exactly going to be so cooperative…not to mention that she'll probably see it as an invasion of her trust. I don't want that, which is why I propose…that we tell her, everything…" Faith finished truthfully, watching as the Scooby gang stared at her in shock as they considered Faith's words, and realized how true Faith's statement was.

But that wasn't all that they were shocked about, as they stared at Faith in wonderment as to why on earth a person like Faith would care so much for the personal feelings of a girl she hardly knew. Not to mention that Faith seemed to know Dawn's needs and feelings more than the people, the Scooby gang, who had not only known Dawn for so long, but also seen and treated her as if she were their baby sister. The worst part of it all…was that the people, who saw her as their little sister, didn't even consider Dawn's feelings about the spell or the roll the young key would have in saving the world. Not to mention her role in Faith's life.

_Oh great, I'm getting the awkward silent treatment! What the hell gives?_ Faith thought before her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Giles' voice.

"I think your reasons for not going through with what we agreed upon are very noble of you, Faith. I don't mean to insult you, but…I never thought that you could give a second thought to the feelings and well being of another person that isn't yourself. Something tells me that there's more to you then we know. Maybe you'll surprise us by showing a side of Faith that no one has seen before-"

"If you're calling me a pussy, then we can take this outside!" Faith interjected, mistaking Giles' words as a British way of telling someone they're a pussy, or even worse…whipped!

"Faith, relax! Giles was just complimenting you on your sensitivity…" Buffy explained, smirking in response to Giles' look of alarm when Faith responded to his intentional compliment.

"Oh…sorry, G-Man… If people thought I was a pussy or whipped, it wouldn't go well with my reputation, if you know what I mean…" Faith explained.

"Yes, well, I understand…"

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way…how about we get Dawnie in here and we confess our sins to her?" Faith offered, getting up so she could exit the room and grab Dawn. But before Faith could even make it to the door, it was Buffy's voice that stopped her in her tracks.

"We can't…"

"Why not..?"

"We can't risk her wigging out right now…it's too dangerous here for her anyways."

"Buffy…did we just agree that we will tell Dawn everything?"

"No, you told us your opinion. We agreed and now feel officially guilty…but, we never agreed on telling her, and that's not changing…at least, not right now…" Buffy explained, flexing her muscles as she prepared for a probable punch from a visibly irritated Faith.

"If we're not going to tell her then what are we going to do?" Faith asked as she clenched her teeth and stared daggers into Buffy's eyes.

"It's quite simple, actually…you seal the deal and consummate the marriage-and hopefully that'll masque you from the First so it can't track you so easily while you partake on your splendid journey," Buffy instructed in her typical sarcastic way.

Faith eyed the other Slayer closely, before searching the peculiar gazes on the rest of the Scooby gang's faces, specifically Giles, who once again began to clean his glasses, which was something he always did when he's either, lying, thinking, or feeling guilty.

"What the hell is going on here? What else do you got planned up your sleeve, B?" Faith asked, her instincts telling her that whatever the Scooby gang had in store, she definitely wouldn't like it.

Buffy took a few steps towards a suspicious Faith, and when she was at least an arm's length apart form the other Slayer, she stopped and flashed Faith an emotionless smile. "You're going on a road trip, Faith."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are, and you're taking my little sister with you…" Buffy instructed her eyes cool as ice and refused to back down from the defiant Slayer before her.

"Oh yeah..?"

"Yeah..!"

"Ok, well, where am I going to bring her?" Faith asked her temper rising slightly and soon found the urge to punch Buffy out to be almost too great for her.

"We'll supply the car. The council, in all their wisdom, will supply you with the money you'll need in order to survive…" Buffy trailed off as she reached into her pocket for the credit card, before handing it to Faith. "Mind you, there's only a couple thousand dollars in that account, since it's hoped that you two won't have to be on the run for long. But, in case it's still not safe for you and Dawn to come back, all you need to do is call this number and ask for some more money and the council will put more money into the account," Buffy explained as Faith reached out for the card before placing it in her wallet.

"Thanks, B. But you still haven't answered my question," Faith replied, her long locks moving with each turn of her head.

"Well, that's easy…you don't have a destination. You get in that car, and you drive. You drive as far as you can from here and you don't turn back. Live off motels and hotels, but never staying in one place for too long. We can't be sure if the spell we cast will protect you and Dawn forever. The First could easily find a way to find you…so don't stop moving and don't let Dawn out of your sight!"

"I don't plan it on, B," Faith replied truthfully, before placing her wallet back in her back pocket.

"Now, then, do you have anything else for me?"

"Yeah… It's too dangerous for you and Dawn to be traveling around under your own identities, since the First could easily track you down by using your name, which it obviously knows. So, the council made you and Dawn these fake IDs, which you will be able to use…" Buffy continued, pausing as she pulled out the two fake IDs and handed them to Faith, who took them graciously.

After looking over the IDs, Faith eyed Buffy curiously. "These IDs couldn't be further from the truth, B. Dawn and I aren't twenty! Not to mention that these bitches look nothing like Dawn and me! Don't even get me started on the weight, Buffy. My ID says that I'm 110 pounds and 5"7'—what am I, anorexic! And look at Dawnie's weight! It says here she's 150 pounds! Damn, B, you're one mean bitch, aren't you?" Faith exclaimed, earning her a comical laugh from Buffy, who calmed herself down enough to explain herself.

"And here's the really cool part. Willow will put another spell on you and Dawn, so that people will only see you as the picture on your ID-"

"Buffy, that's sick! Not only do I look like a heroin addict—but it looks like I've been dead for at least a week!" Faith interrupted in protest, earning her another chuckle from Buffy.

"Willow configured the spell so that we will see you and Dawn as you are, but everyone else will only see you as the picture your ID sees you. And don't worry, it's temporary," Buffy explained, enjoying the look on Faith's face a little too much.

"Thanks, Red…" Faith grumbled as she gave Willow a quick glance before returning her gaze to the unsightly picture on her fake ID.

"No problem, Faith," Willow said from her seated position on the other side of the room.

As Faith pulled out her wallet as to place the two IDs into it, she looked up at a grinning Buffy, "Anything else?"

"Yeah, you leave tonight-"

"So soon..?"

"The sooner the better…" Buffy explained, before adding, "But since you and Dawn haven't completely activated the spell yet, it'll be dangerous and pointless for you two to go on your little journey. So, I guess you better put a little more effort in your charming skills and get my sister into bed!" Buffy stated, but instantly regretted the last part when she realized how creepy it sounded. "Ok, that sounded a little bit too creepy…"

"Just a little..?" Faith asked sarcastically, before her attention was brought to the sound of Willow's voice.

"You may not have to do the 'laying' tonight. I'll go see if I can find a spell that'll hide you guys long enough for you to charm Dawnie into bed without rushing into things…" Willow said, before disappearing into the other room.

"I'd really appreciate that, Red!" Faith hollered after the witch. "Well then, with that out of the way…do you have anything else to tell me?" Faith asked as she placed her wallet back into her back pocket.

"Yeah, pack your things, get a great map, and pray that I won't kill you if you fuck up again!"

"Oh, Buffy, how I will miss you while I'm on this road trip…" Faith replied sarcastically.

Buffy smirked in response. "That reminds me. Call me regularly. I want to know that you two are ok…" Buffy said with a smile before following in the direction that Willow went, leaving Faith alone with the rest of the Scooby gang.


	16. Road Trip'n

_**Road Trip'n**_

"You didn't forget anything, did you?" Faith asked, glancing at Dawn for a moment before returning her attention back to the road.

"I don't think so…" Dawn mumbled, her arms crossed and eyes watching the scenes rushing by her through the car window.

"Good…" Faith answered with a sigh, her hands gripping the steering wheel as her anxiety continued to affect her mood.

It had been two agonizing hours since the pair had left the Summer's residence, and were now on their way to the border, leaving Sunnydale. During those two silent, agonizing, and deafly loud hours in the car, it was only natural that Faith was beginning to lose her cool. She gripped the steering wheel in a deathly hold, much like the way she would hold her stake during an intense battle with another unholy bloodsucker. Her knuckles were white as her hands continued to crush the steering wheel, her shoulders tense, and her eyes moving constantly from the road to Dawn then back to the road again.

"See anything interesting out there?" she asked with a smile, which could only be described as one used when a person is trying to break the ice, or to change an awkward mood to a more comfortable one. Either way, it didn't seem to do much for Faith but add sound to the silent car.

"Nope…" Dawn responded shortly, the back of her head still facing the anxious and obviously bored Faith.

"You've been staring out that window for the past two hours. I would have thought you would have seen something interesting by now…" Faith chuckled uneasily, her eyes checking the speedometer before glancing at the gas meter.

"What? Since when is it considered illegal for a girl to look out a car window?" Dawn responded in annoyance.

Faith chuckled in response while her left foot began to tap restlessly against the side of the car.

"Oh no, of course not..!" Faith answered with a grin, her right foot easing off the gas and moved onto the break, slowing the car down so she could make a safe turn. "This is America, Dawnie, home of the 'stare out the car window and ignore the driver for two straight hours'. So, no, you're not breaking any laws," Faith added with a sly grin, earning her an annoyed growl from Dawn.

"Well then, since I'm not breaking any laws…I have the right, as an American citizen, to look out this car window for two hours without talking to the driver if I please it!" Dawn answered in a huff, the back of her head still facing an amused Faith.

"Alright, cool…" Faith replied, an evil grin spreading her lips as she continued to tap her foot against the inside of the car, louder this time. After a few agonizing minutes, and when Dawn could no longer stand the annoying tapping sound any longer, the poor, young, angsty teen could no longer hold her peace.

"Will you stop that?" Dawn exclaimed angrily, her head whipping to the left to face a deeply amused Faith.

"What? Since when, is it illegal for a girl to tap her shoe?" Faith asked cheekily, her sly smile and husky laugh adding more irritation to an already irritated Dawn.

"Whatever!" Dawn answered bluntly, her head turning away from Faith, returning her eyes to the attention of the car window. So, as Faith continued to tap her shoe against the side of the car, Dawn tried to find it within herself to ignore Faith.

"Are you ever going to stop doing that?" Dawn asked, her arms crossed, the back of her head still facing Faith.

"Nope," Faith answered bluntly as she went through a green light before taking the next left.

Dawn sighed angrily before responding in her typically snotty tone. "Fine then, I'll just turn on the radio—"

"You can try, Princess, but I'm afraid that the radio in this car don't work—"

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope..!" Faith answered proudly, obviously enjoying teasing Dawn. "So I guess you have no other choice but to listen to my tapping," she added, licking her dry lips, while her grin remained permanent on her angelic features.

Dawn just looked at Faith, a cold expression dampening the child's innocent glow as she muttered, "I could just kill you right now…"

"Aw, Dawnie, don't say that. You're breaking my balls—"

"You don't have _balls_—"

"Well, not the type of balls you're thinking of, sweet pea. But last time I checked, ovaries are circular shaped—are they not?" Faith responded in her best smart-ass tone.

Dawn just shook her head, a look of disbelief overlapping her previously cold expression as she replied. "I could seriously kill you…"

Faith couldn't help but laugh out loud at Dawn. The slayer was enjoying each moment of the key's discomfort and didn't feel a bit guilty for it either. Despite knowing that she was pissing Dawn off, she continued to tap her shoe.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yep…"

"Well stop! I demand that you stop!" Dawn pleaded as she moved to face Faith completely.

Faith just shook her head, and gave her that coy smile and that expression that guaranteed Dawn that Faith was far from done with her. "But, Dawnie, I have the right, as an American citizen, to tap my shoe for however long I please—"

"Oh, shut up, Faith!" Dawn interjected, her arms crossed and eyes burning holes through Faith's head.

"But, Dawnie…I'm not doing anything illegal…" Faith led on as she took her eyes off the road so she could stare longingly back into Dawn's confused eyes. "Right, Dawnie?" Faith continued, her eyes still off the road and focused hypnotically on Dawn's wide eyes.

Dawn suddenly found herself lost in the Slayer's enchanting eyes, and if it wasn't for that small red light that she saw out of the corner of her eye, she would probably have been trapped in the Slayer's world permanently.

As her face turned away from Faith's to see what that approaching red light was, her eyes widened and her mouth opened, letting out a single outburst of pure panic. "FAAAAAAAIIIIIITH!" she exclaimed, her hands firmly placed on the dashboard as if to brace for impact.

"Jesus Christ, kid, relax!" Faith chuckled, shaking her head as she brought her full attention back onto the road, seconds after running a red light.

Dawn slowly brought her eyes to stare back at a now laughing Faith, disbelief and a sense of disappointment could be found in her eyes as her heart struggled to sort through the momentary shock.

"Why the hell did you do that? What are you…suicidal?" Dawn asked bitterly, her brows crossed and face as white as a ghost as she watched the laughing Faith shrug in response.

"I was having fun—"

"You ran a red light on a busy highway—"

"So what…it's not like there was anyone there to collide with? We're still in Sunnydale, remember? We're like the only people left in Sunnydale. And hell, do you see anyone on this road with us?"

"No…"

"Well then, there you have it…that settles it. Try not to get your panties in a bunch next time, ok?" Faith finished with a question, one she didn't expect a verbal response from anyway.

"It was still pretty stupid—you could have gotten us killed…"

"Yeah, that's true…" Faith began with a wide smile, her fingers moving to turn on the radio. "But it got you talking to me, didn't it?" she added just as the radio began playing, much to Dawn's surprise.

"I thought you said the radio didn't work?" Dawn replied with a mix of confusion and anger.

"Yeah, well, I guess I lied…" Faith replied with a shrug.

Dawn's pale complexion turned to a deep red. "I could seriously kill you—"

"Hey, keep quiet, brat, this is a good song!" Faith interjected, tapping her fingers along the steering wheel.

"What is it?" Dawn asked.

"You have no idea what this is?" Faith responded with a look of shock and disgust before adding, "It's Joan Jett!"

"Gross, can you put on something else that doesn't make me want to bathe in a pool of acid?" Dawn asked as she reached out to turn the channel.

But just as her finger's touched the button, Faith's hands whipped out and smacked her hand away, resulting in Dawn recoiling and looking back at Faith with a look of shock. Soon, disgust as Faith then began to sing along with the song.

"'_**I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation—**_"

"ARGH…I hate you!" Dawn exclaimed loudly, only to have Faith lean over to turn up the volume to drown out Dawn's annoyed voice.

"Come on, Dawnie, do the air guitar with me!"


	17. Say Goodbye to Sunnydale

_**Say Goodbye to Sunnydale… **_

"Say goodbye to Sunnydale, Dawn…" Faith uttered just as they drove past the Sunnydale property line. Faith smiled faintly as she stole a quick glance at the young girl in the passenger seat next to her, before returning her gaze to the rode.

Dawn, who had continued to remain silent, turned her head to meet Faith's gaze, her facial expression letting Faith know that the girl was still deeply annoyed with her. She sighed heavily before breaking her silence for the first time since the pair left the Summers residence. "…woo hoo…" was all she said—her tone powered by her very teenaged attitude; which earned her a smirk from Faith as well as a verbal response.

"Thank god you finally said something…for a while I thought your distaste for me turned you into a mute! –a very cute mute. Huh, that kinda rhymed…" said Faith, before stealing another glance at Dawn. "I think I'm going to call you that—well at least until you start talking to me that is. Cute mute…cute mute…yeah I think I like that" Faith continued, knowing that she was just adding to Dawn's growing annoyance. "…what do you think about that cutie? You like your new nickname? My cutie mutie—"

"—I think its fucking stupid…" Dawn interrupted, glaring at a smirking Faith as she shifted in her car seat.

"ooOOOOoo I struck a nerve!" Faith commented, attempting to get a conversation started between her and Dawn.

Dawn just shook her head and continued to look out the window. She was not in the mood for Faith's 'Faith-ness' –in fact, the young girl was deep in thought. She found herself thinking of the events that occurred in the past couple of weeks—everything that had transpired since Faith re-entered her life. How it seemed that her young life had suddenly turned upside down in such a short amount of time—even more so than the prospect of never reaching her 20th birthday on the account that the whole world was about to end and she could die at any moment. Perhaps the whole Faith thing seemed to affect her more since it seemed to be something that struck her personally—the utter confusion of her feelings both confused and scared her. Was she gay? Bi? Insane? Dawn didn't know what to think, a part of her wondered if it even mattered. She couldn't get her head around the fact that her emotions seemed to be becoming more bipolar as the days progressed—she couldn't understand how Faith could have such an effect on her. The back and forth sexual tension both frustrated and excited her in a really weird way, almost as if she enjoyed it and that it was the basis of her bizarre relationship with the Slayer.

She couldn't truly explain her actions; how she could go from avoiding Faith and the feelings she apparently had for the Slayer, to making out with the woman passionately a second later. The whole 'come here, now go away' thing was probably the most dramatic thing Dawn had ever experienced—and that's saying a lot! Dawn sighed heavily as she tried to think of how these feelings transpired in the first place—how Faith could even like Dawn in the first place let alone be willing to deal with the girl's antics. _Maybe Faith's under some sort of spell? …Maybe I'm under this spell too!_ That could explain why we are acting this crazy with each other… Dawn thought to herself as she stared curiously at the dark Slayer.

Feeling a pair of eyes staring at her, Faith turned her head to meet Dawn's gaze. She smiled sweetly at the girl before saying, "trying to imagine what I look like naked, Dawnie?" her eyes glimmering with amusement as she watched Dawn jolt back into reality and move her gaze back to the window, before continuing, "you'll get to see the real deal soon enough". Faith grinned wildly as she winked at the girl. Dawn caught the wink out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but blush at the comment as well as feel a little aroused at the thought.

_How the hell does she do this to me?!_ Dawn asked herself, as she tried to control the imagined image of Faith's naked body out of her mind. The images were causing a powerful reaction between her legs—_uuurgh! Quick! Think of something totally disgusting! Uhm uhm humh. Oh! I got it! … Andrew naked! Eeeweweweweew_ Dawn thought to herself, her eyes closed as she tried to focus on the undesirable image. And after a moment, sure enough, the images of Faith's naked body and sexy grin left her mind and she was back in control again.

"What are you doing?" Faith asked with a chuckle, her eyes darting back and forth from the road, to Dawn, then back to the road, and so on.

"Nothing…" Dawn responded, slightly embarrassed.

"You were thinking about my hot naked body, weren't you" Faith stated, rather than asking. She laughed softly at the expression on Dawn's face in response to the statement.

"Hell. No." Dawn responded after a moment, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught. Feeling as though her response wasn't enough to convince Faith, Dawn added, "You think too highly of yourself", which earned her a quick glance from Faith as well as a smirk. This response encouraged Dawn at another attempt to disprove Faith's accusation by saying "Your not nearly as good looking as you like to think. Quite frankly, I can think of at least 10 other people who are hotter than you!"

"Oh yeah? Name them for me" Faith responded with amusement as she tried to hide the twinge of jealousy in response to Dawn's last statement.

"No." Dawn responded her mind had gone completely blank and she honestly couldn't think of anyone who could even come close to matching Faith's hotness—though Dawn would rather die than admit that to Faith.

"Why not?" Faith asked, happy that she and Dawn were finally talking past 2 or 3 worded conversations.

"I don't want to!" Dawn responded defensively, clearly feeling like an idiot since she honestly couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Ok…" Faith responded with a laugh; she knew that the teen had backed herself into a corner and pretty much put herself in a position that admitted her deep attraction to Faith. "Name one person who us hotter than me. Someone you'd spread your legs for"

Not knowing what to say, Dawn decided to blurt out the first name that came to mind, "Kennedy!"

"What?!" Faith immediately replied. Her face contorted into a look of pure disgust.

"Yeah, I'd totally let her _do_ me—that is if she wasn't with Willow…" Dawn said in an attempt to back up her answer.

Faith looked at her hard, jealousy evident in her demeanor. Even though Faith knew that the young girl was lying about finding Kennedy more attractive than her, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"You're so full of shit." Faith finally replied.

"It's the truth. Deal with it. I think Kennedy's hotter than you. I'd spread my legs for her before I would for you…" Dawn replied unconvincingly. _Wow, I almost puked after saying that…I hope Faith doesn't catch on…let alone kill me! _Dawn thought to herself.

"Whatever you say kid" Faith replied disbelievingly as she shook her head. "What, ever, you, say…" she muttered to herself a few times—her head shaking slightly as she tried to pay attention to the road.

After that last statement, Faith and Dawn grew quite. This was good because Dawn really wanted to get back to her thoughts. She went back to the thoughts of how she and Faith could behave so strangely with each other—wondering if their behavior was because of a spell or something else… After all, Dawn had met Faith a few years ago—and she had to admit that she felt an intense interest in the Slayer back then. She smirked when she remembered how she would dress up like Faith, talk like her, and follow her around like a lost puppy dog in an attempt to get Faith's attention. Though she ruled out that the behavior was because she had a crush on Faith—nah, she concluded that it was just a stage she was in. She saw Faith back then as being cool—Dawn wanted to be just like her; that is, until Faith turned psycho and tried to kill everyone close to Dawn's young heart. Saying that…Dawn couldn't rule out that perhaps her sexual tension as well as frustration was not due to a spell…but a deep rooted attraction that started years ago and only now did she have a chance to experience her subconscious attraction to Faith. Even with that in mind, Dawn was far too stubborn to admit that… so; she decided to go with the idea that this whole thing between her and Faith was the result of some powerful lust/love spell. The only question was…

_who would cast a love/lust spell on me and Faith?_ Dawn thought to herself before being interrupted by Faith.

"Hey, brat—"

"—Not a brat!"

"Whatever… it's almost sundown. Let's grab ourselves a room at that motel over there…spend the night then continue our little journey around the world tomorrow morning. Sound good to you?" Faith asked as she drove the car in the direction of the 'Motel Hotel Express' that proved to be descent though probably cockroach infested.

Dawn looked in the direction of the motel before turning to Faith to reply, "doesn't look like I have a choice—"

"—that's cause you don't" Faith interrupted

"…then I guess its fine by me" Dawn concluded

"good" was Faiths only response.

_**Authors note: Hey guys, I know it's been years since I last updated this story. I just didn't have the motivation to continue writing…but now I would like to get back into the fanfic writing business lol :P and start writing again! Hope you guys like this chapter, I'll try and be a better fanfic writer and not leave you guys waiting for years before updating :P **_


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